Fruition
by ChibiYuugiKoibito
Summary: One had never felt such hopelessness and despair, now that he was alone in this dark world which was devoid of logic. The other felt he could not suppress the evil tendencies that kept him from the things, the person, he needed. JackxRalph COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: Trust me guys, if I owned Lord of the Flies, Jack and Ralph would be alone far more often XD. LOTF is William Golding's gold mine

This is my first fanfic written and posted on this website for years and years, AND my first for LOTF, so please go easy on me XD Flames will be used to light cooking fires!

Nothing having to do with pairings happens at all in this chapter, no JackxRalph just yet, and it may even seem a bit rushed. Hopefully it'll fit in appropriately with my plan X3.

ARIGATO MINNA!!! Enjoy .

Chapter 1

The tropical sun beat down on the island, adding to the ever-increasing heat emitted from the burning foliage that threatened to lick up palm trees and bushes. Ralph sprinted through the jungle, and as branches grabbed onto the brittle remains of his white shirt, the sound of ululations and lustful cries became more distinct. His struggled to breathe and his heart and muscles ached, lessening his level of adrenaline.

'Why did it have to come to this?' Ralph thought, ignoring the painful scrapes from the sharp, spiny foliage, which multiplied as he increased in speed. 'If only they had listened to me, to Simon, Piggy...'

The savages had, in fact, lost all sense of order, and Ralph was their target. He, the last rope that bound them to a lawful, sensible society, was inevitably being hunted down like a defenseless pig. Would they cook him over a hungry, burning fire and parade about like banshees who lacked any sense of good or logic?

The hunters' sharp cries and shouts echoed throughout the jungle, and became louder and produced a greater feeling of ill-omen. Ralph tripped on a creeper, and fell with a heavy thud onto the hot sand. As he struggled to get off the ground, his ankle twisted to an alarming degree and he toppled to the sand yet again. He cried out, wriggling in pain as tears pricked his eyes and began to stream down his dirt-stained face. He let his whole body rest on the ground, pulling his injured ankle to his chest and embracing it, intent on lessening the pain. He hoped death would come painlessly, after coming to the realization his chance of survival was utterly pathetic.

'I'll finally be able to see them,' Ralph thought, reality causing him to choke on his tears, 'Piggy, Simon...I'm coming.'

Ralph felt the ground tremble slightly and, closing his eyes, decided it was the pounding feet of his executioners. However, accompanied by the tremble was a loud bang from the now-dismal sky. His head shot up from the ground at the clap of thunder, which caused the approaching littluns to stop in their tracks and gaze at the dark sky in fear. The biguns followed, and Ralph knew his time was short.

"There he is!" one of the savages shouted, and everyone bolted for the broken form on the ground. As they arrived a few yards away from him they slowed their pace, and a figure with the remains of a black cap covering a shock of red hair appeared, wielding a sharp, wooden spear. His painted face radiated blood-lust, and his mouth slowly curved into a delighted smirk. Jack Merridew stood, elated at the sight of his prey.

"Roger, come look at what we have here!" Jack said excitedly, gripping his spear with greater force. Roger came and inspected Ralph's form which twitched in pain. His gray, merciless eyes scanned him in discontent. "He's not even putting up a fight, Jack; this hunt wasn't as fulfilling as I had hoped." He spat near Ralph in a displeased manner and walked around to where his arched back was on full display. The sky soon became covered in menacing clouds, and large drops of rain, cool and wet, fell onto the beach.

Ralph attempted to speak, but his breathing came too harshly. He cracked his eyelids open to see what was going on, and could not make sense of what he was hearing over the searing pain in his ankle. A blurry Jack came face-to-face with him, and he squinted his eyes shut in utter fear. He could hear Jack speaking to Roger after a minute of soft murmurs from the group of savages, but could not make sense of what they were saying, and why he hadn't already been killed.

Suddenly, after losing much sense of the world around him due to his pain-stricken ankle, Ralph felt as if his hands were being bound to something hard and rough in texture. He felt his ankle being moved and he immediately cried out an absurd octave, heightened by the intense pain. Ralph's ankles were being tied on that same uncomfortable object, and he felt himself being lifted into the air. He shrieked at the acute pain and, in response to the shock, slipped into what seemed an infinite, black unconsciousness.

Jack lead the group of ecstatic boys across the beach, who carried their prize hogtied to their fort, their home, Castle Rock. Those who belonged to the choir who could recall the words began to sing their song in triumph and jubilee.

_Kyrie, kyrie, kyrie eleison_...

Some of the littluns and a few of the biguns giggled as their prey was being poked and jabbed with Maurice's spear.

_Kyrie, kyrie, kyrie eleison_...

The group began to march through the pig run that lead to Castle Rock, some who wanted more of a thrill keeping their dark eyes peeled for a pig.

_Kyri kyri kyri kyri_...

Roger, who lead the group at Jack's side, kept an impatient impulse to draw blood to himself.

_Kyri kyri kyrie_...

Jack gripped his spear with two hands, suppressing his own urge, one that he could not understand, one that he did not want to understand. He _was_ happy with his prey.

_Kyrie, kyrie, kyrie eleison_...

The rain began to pour menacingly from the gray-black sky, and a lightning bolt crackled through the clouds. The large fire that had spread throughout the jungle was put out by the downpour; there was no use for it now, now that they had gotten what they desired. Thunder boomed ferociously, and while some singing continued as they began to climb Castle Rock, littluns screamed and cried in terror, running ahead. Jack did not try to stop them; he was lost in his mind.

'What shall we do first when we arrive, I wonder? Jack thought in silence. He looked over to Roger who stood at his side, in an attempt to read his face for an idea. He was always there, ever since the plane crashed onto the island. He had served as a partner to Jack while hunting and while leading the hunters, and he held an invisible authority that proved useful in establishing their tribe. Roger was the punisher, the executioner, the silent discipliner, and Jack had an immense amount of respect for him. Not in such a way that he would allow him to take over his chiefly position, and certainly not so much that he would allow him to take credit for today's successful hunt.

Not in such a way that he would allow him to keep the prey all to himself. He _was_ happy with his prey.

So, how'd you guys like it? Please review!! JackxRalph to come, I promise!!


	2. Chapter 2

HEEY GUYS!!! Thanks to those of you who read and enjoyed chapter 1; hopefully this one will be as pleasing, even though it seems short to me o.O Is that just me??? 

**Disclaimer**: If I owed LOTF, Roger would have said LOOK. WOW. I KILLED PIGGY. Just so the misconceptions people seem to have about Jack killing Piggy cease to exist XD.

ENJOY LOVES!!!

Chapter 2

The fire sent the boys' shadows dancing swiftly across the walls of the dark, damp cave. They had arrived at Castle Rock just as the vines that held their captive, Ralph, began to come loose. He was still unconscious, and tucked behind one of the rather large boulders that stood solidly inside the cave, he lay silent and still, wrists and ankles rebound. Robert was assigned to stand near the lifeless boy in the event that he awoke and attempted to escape, keeping a sharpened stick close to his chest.

Thunder rumbled and shook the mountain, and bolts of white, ferocious lightning filled the evening sky. Littluns huddled fearfully near the back of the deep cave with backs facing the opening, for the frightening lightning could be ignored with greater ease if they could not see it slice through the clouds. Meanwhile, a discussion had began over what they would do with their prize. Presently, a clamorous argument ignited over whether they would kill Ralph the following day, or choose a more torturous means of captivity.

"We can kill him tomorrow and have a feast to celebrate," one of the smaller boys chimed in, "and we can do our dance!" "That idea is bollucks," Bill stated, "why must each hunt end up the same way?!" "I agree, Bill." Jack said furtively, scanning the restless boys with blue eyes. Suddenly a stillness was unleashed when the Chief's bright, glowing eyes trailed across the group, and silence thickened in the air. After a moment, Jack stood and spoke.

"Here's what we shall do. We will go out tomorrow morning and kill a pig and bring it back here. It should be rather easy, I assume, because they'll all be asleep." The crowd wordlessly agreed. "One of us will remain here with our captive so he will be unable to escape, and will not speak a word of our plan to him, no matter how much he may ask. Whomever I chose will also deny our captive food of any sort, but will be permitted one drink of water. In fact, one drink each day. And he cannot leave this cave under any circumstances." A few of the boys snickered and giggled with elation. The thought of denying Ralph necessities whilst allowing him to survive seemed brilliant and exciting. "When we return with our kill, the one I put in charge will tie him up, and we will have a feast. Afterwards," he paused, glancing challengingly about the cave, "we will begin the first round of torture."

An outburst of cheering and clapping erupted, echoing from the small cave. Jack's painted face beamed with his usual pride, and smiled contentedly. "Who will you choose, Chief?" Maurice asked, and others verbally showed agreement. In the boys' opinion, the idea of such a task being chosen specifically for one person to accomplish, by their Chief nonetheless, seemed a great honor and carried with it a sense of power and prestige. This was something many of the boys wanted: possessing the same air of leadership and strength as their Chief, and Roger, did.

"Hmm..." Jack searched choicely for those he figured would perform the duty best. Dirty, young faces looked down at the ground; all feared looking directly into their leaders oppressive eyes. His bright eyes went to the so called second-in-command, who appeared to be sharpening his spear to a deadly point. 'Not Roger,' Jack thought to himself, 'he stays with me. I'm not about to lose the opportunity to get at...him...first, and he's too good a hunter to not bring along.' He sat silently.

After another glance, he decided. "You two! Samneric!" The twins, who sat wordlessly at the far back of the group, shot their heads up and faced Jack's general direction. "You two will only slow the rest of us down, as I saw earlier today. You will remain here with the captive until we return. Obey the rules I have laid down; you know what will happen if you don't." They simultaneously allowed their eyes to follow the ground, and kept it there. They knew there was no way for them to aid Ralph and attempt some sort of revolt, not after the abuse Roger had put them through of his own accord. Jack knew this well, because he had witnessed it firsthand. At that moment they were shot a hateful, ominous glance by Roger himself, who began to blow the excess dust and small wood fragments off his spear's tip, and succeeded in instilling a greater fear into the boys. Jack gazed into the flashing clouds emptily.

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The night had cleared up, and the air smelt fresh and new after the fallen rain. The stars were clearly visible, and a small, bright crescent moon hung daintily in the speckled blackness. Ralph lay slightly awoken, but kept his heavy eyelids closed with fatigue. As he came closer to consciousness, he heard droplets of rainwater drip, in a rhythmical pattern, into shallow puddles. He squinted his eyes and wiped them with the back of his hand. The dull, unrelenting pain that still existed in his ankle reminded him to keep his scraped body as still as possible.

Ralph cracked open his golden brown eyes, which watered with sleep, and allowed them to slowly open further. He noticed his position behind a gargantuan, dark boulder, which served as a sort of comfort to keep him shielded from the danger that may be around it, although his head lay completely exposed. As the environment around him cleared up to a degree, he noticed the heathens that had failed to take his life, those who denied reason as though it were a sin and who took the lives of his beloved comrades, lay in their own respective places on the hard ground, sleeping soundlessly. It was as if they knew nothing of evil, and the blanket of tranquility and peace which hung in the air clouded their savagery like the paint they wore on their faces.

After yawning and stretching in the most comfortable way possible, Ralph's attention left the cave and traveled to the outside. He knew he couldn't have moved if he wanted to; there was no way for him to escape in the poor condition he was in. He decided to wait out the duration of time it may have taken for his ankle to heal, but would he be alive by then? Would they kill him tomorrow, the next day, the next week...in a few hours? When would he see Simon and Piggy in the light?

As Ralph lay motionless on the ground, feelings of desperation and anxiety mixing in a horrible puree, he looked to where the cliff stood outside the cave's entryway. He could not be sure, but he thought he saw what look to be a figure, and in order to make out the "person" more accurately he inched forward to peer into the nighttime. It was, in fact, a figure, and before he could hide, or even pretend to be dead, the person stood. Ralph saw that it was Jack, and a feeling of utter dread and alarm sent a cold shiver down his spine, paralyzing him. He began to make his way towards the cave, and Ralph noticed, even in his fear-induced numbness, that his face looked different than he had ever seen it.

Ha...internal conflict is so rich XD

JackxRalph coming soon, you eager beavers .!


	3. Chapter 3

THANK YOU ALL WHOLEHEARTEDLY FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS!!! They really inspired me to keep on truckin' through this horrible week...where there's not been much time to work on this chapter. BUT IT'S DONE!!! I couldn'ta done it without you guys, thank you all so much once again!!! XD

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Lord of the Flies, I would have also directed the movie. If I directed the movie, I would have made it illegal (somehow) for others who could clearly care less about sticking to the original plotline to remake it...CURSE YOU COLOR MOVIE!!!...sorry for those who like it, I guess I wasn't too fond of it T.T.

Chapter 3 

Morning came with no sympathy, bathing the inside of the cave with the sun's pale rays. It entered uninvited and hit Jack's tired, heavy eyes in an unstoppable stream, causing him to cover his face with his arm. He sat up, swearing under his breath, and looked around at the sleeping boys, whose faces were peaceful and calm. He stretched, reaching with his arms towards the ceiling of the cave, and felt a grumble in the pits of his stomach. Hunger began to envelope his senses, and upon glancing at the corner of the cave where they usually kept a supply of fruit and coconuts filled to the brim with water, he realized there was nothing left. His already-heavy heart sank deeper.

'The hunt is not going to be for a while now,' Jack pondered, 'I had better get more fruit before everyone wakes up.' He pushed himself off of his bed of leaves, took his wooden spear and made his way to the cave's entrance. His soft footsteps ceased to patter on the stone floor when he arrived at a spot, the spot, where he had stood the night before. He felt a pang of gloom, apprehension, fear, and steadied his stance with one hand on the wall. With all the strength he could muster, Jack fought off the urge to look towards the cave, towards the boulder, and began making his way down Castle Rock. The sun rose higher in the clear morning sky, as did all of the oppressive, familiar feelings he had come to know.

The cave's inhabitants began to stir, and the sun continued to shine directly into the enormous space. Jack had returned with an armful of ripe fruit and some water moments before Roger awoke. He was one of the first to stir, and aided his chief in waking up all of the others so that the early hunt could begin. After some feeble protest and fatigued attempts to remain asleep, everyone got up and gathered in a semi-circle around the chief, who sat like a tyrant on his throne make of dark rock.

"We are about to go out and begin the hunt, as I explained yesterday. However," he paused, keeping a keen eye on Samneric, who sat awkwardly near the back of the circle, eyes focused towards the ground, "I've decided I want Henry and Maurice to stay and guard the entryway, to ensure that no one tries to leave," He smirked when he saw Samneric begin to fidget. "You two had better adhere to the rules I gave to you. Our prey better remain where he is now, understand?" they gulped nervously, nodding nearly in sync.

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A cold wind made the motionless, sleeping boy shiver. Samneric could see that he was trying to stretch out, but physically understood he was in far too much pain to do anything of the sort. Sam felt restless. "Eric, we need to wake him before he hurts himself!" Eric turned his attention away from his spear the he gently tossed from one hand to the other, and studied Ralph's sleeping form. He felt a cold sweat run down his spine. "B-but...the Chief..." Nothing more needed to be said, and they continued to sit in silence, only now bearing guilty consciousnesses. The two guards at the cave's opening whispered to one another and giggled in response to the silent source of humor.

There was an air of intense satisfaction and the familiar scent of pig's blood that permeated through the hot jungle atmosphere. A rather large pig had been lustfully chased down and killed, and proved to be another exciting hunt for all. While Jack began to remove the innards of the pig as he normally did, littluns sat on the grassy jungle floor and catch their breath after the kill, some of the biguns could be seen running about, chanting as they usually did, and Roger slid his finger down his newly bloodied spear, admiring the shed blood that dripped like crimson gold onto the thick grass.

He spoke with eagerness to Jack, "I doubted this day could get any better, after such a bloody hunt, but it's only just begun." He waited to hear a response, but his Chief only continued to pry with great ease the guts from the pig. "Am I mistaken? You don't seem excited." Jack did not flinch. He waited a while longer, and his patience began to wear thin. "I'm surprised at you. Where's your enthusiasm?" Suddenly Jack's head spun around, and he glared at Roger with piercing blue eyes. "And you're usually not this talkative, Roger. I'm not done with our kill yet." He lowered his eyes, his painted face shadowed by his red hair. He turned around and finished the last of the gutting process. "We'll leave for Castle Rock soon. Go tell everyone." The slight blush that would have been seen on any others face was covered with red and black paint, and Roger turned swiftly and made his way towards the rest of the group. He let some of the collected blood on his finger drip to the ground, and his blush wore away.

Ralph squinted his eyes shut against the harsh afternoon sunlight, and became surprised at how late he had slept. The pain in his ankle was still harsh, but slightly dulled so that it was a bit more bearable. He allowed his heavy eyes to adjust to the sun's fiery glare, and opened them further so that he could clearly see his surroundings. Two small figures appeared, sitting lazily against a wall with spears loosely grasped. Their features were made clear after a minute, and Ralph drew in a shaky breath. It was Samneric, the ones who had told those savages his clever hiding spot that was, therefore, rendered utterly useless. He grit his teeth and sat up with a start, wincing at the burning pain in his ankle, but ignored it and let his anger give him adrenaline.

"S-Samneric..!" Ralph said weakly. Their heads turned simultaneously, and while Sam held his gaze Eric turned his head shamefully to the ground. "You've become painted fools as well! What in the bloody hell were you thinking, giving me away?" Sam shifted his gaze to the ground as well, fidgeting slightly. Ralph stared at them, baffled. "Say something! Why did you tell them where I was hiding? We could have stood up against them!" They remained silent, as they were ordered by their chief to do. 'Ralph...I'm so sorry.' Sam thought, pained. Eric slowly got up and went to the stash of food and drink, reaching for a coconut shell filled with water. Ralph looked at him with absolute indignation, and abruptly became aware of his own thirst. Eric made his way to Ralph's spot on the floor and gently placed the coconut shell in front of him, all the while avoiding eye contact. He returned to his spot next to Sam, and took up his spear once again.

'What on Earth is going on here?' Ralph thought and, for the moment, ignored his drink. "Samneric...please...at least tell me this. When are they going to finish me off?" The two continued to sit, completely silent. Sam contemplated whether he should busy himself by actually doing something, but had no idea what could be done in this barren cave. Eric turned towards the ocean, trying to suppress the urge to utter some sort of words to Ralph, or Sam. Ralph gritted his teeth and said loudly, "Samneric! What do you think you're doing?! Answer me! What are they going to do with me?" No sound, not even a rustling, came from the twins. They had remembered Jack's specific words, _"You will not speak a word of our plan to him, no matter how much he may ask."_ There was no way they could break this rule, not with the harrowing presence of the two guards planted outside the entrance.

Ralph sighed heavily and leaned on the wall, careful not to move his ankle to an extreme degree. 'I can't take this anymore,' Ralph thought, 'I'd be happy if they ended my misery now.' He fought back tears that threatened to creep out of his golden eyes and took another deep breath. 'Jack Merridew...you bloody swine. I'll hate you until the hour of my death.'

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Castle Rock began to come into full view over the vast array of tropical trees and shrubbery that made up the jungle. The hunters made their way down the beach, lead only by their Chief. Roger, still slightly flustered, took the rear and continued to admire the now-dried blood that soaked into his spear. Everyone but Jack continued to chant,_ "Kill the beast! Slit his throat! Bash him in!"_ Jack was far too deep in thought to even speak, and the chanting faded clear away. 'Why...why am I feeling so anxious? We're about to do what I've been waiting to do for so long...so why...' A gust of warm, ocean air blew from the choppy waters and caused a great body of tiny birds to burst from the treetops. They flew as one, moving to and fro, down and up, until they all settled upon a new set of treetops. Jack stared at this scene with a sense of awe, and abruptly Ralph's face flashed in his mind, for no longer than a second. He shook his head, bit his lower lip and continued to trail along the sandy beach, not accepting any of the possibilities for his apprehension.

YAY!!! I think we're getting warrmmeerrr...X3 I'll update Chapter 4 23,947,839x faster than this one, don't worry guys!!! MUCH LOVE!!!


	4. Chapter 4

THANK YOU MY DEAR READERS ONCE AGAIN!!!!! Chapter 3 apparently went down well, hopefully I haven't killed the story with this chapter, but we can only hope!! This is a concern I have before every chapter, by the way. XDXD

**Disclaimer**: If I owned Lord of the Flies, Simon would have had blonde hair, like in the movie. I don't know, I think it suits his holy self better than the black hair. Plus he's kawaii with it X3

Anyhow...ON WITH THE SHOW!!!

Chapter 4

As late afternoon approached, the tropical heat intensified outside of the dark cave. This darkness provided a refreshing, cool air for those who remained there. Ralph, still seated adjacent to the boulder, kept his leg to his chest because he discovered that, in such a position, the pain could be ignored with greater ease. He had given up all hope of speaking to the twins, and even avoided looking at them at all costs. The pain was the only loyal thing he had, making his current predicament far more bittersweet. He was nothing short of enraged.

The guards who once stood diligently between Ralph and any chance of escape were now seated on the ground, swapping memories of hunts and opinions they had about some of the other boys on the island. Samneric had finished eating a bit of fruit and had begun playing some sort of word game Ralph was unable to identify. Not that he cared in the least, for he was lost in his mind which rang with intense anger. He kept his dulled eyes to the floor and his arms wrapped supportively around his leg. He could not think and did not want to speak due to his parched throat, which only added to his merciless blight. The water Eric placed before him had been long forgotten in the tangles of his mind.

Ralph did notice, however, that Samneric had suddenly become very silent. He could hear distant chanting, and could hear cries which radiated pure, unscathed savagery, ones that he had come to know quite well. He froze, his eyes widening in gut-wrenching fear, but refused to lift his head to await who was coming up the mountainside. The chanting became louder, as did a voice in Ralph's head, shouting, 'Run! Run you fool,' but he paid it no heed, as he was frozen to his spot on the ground. It was as if his heart was beating is his ears, and both the chanting and the frantic voice heightened in volume. He gulped, and noticed the cave begin to swirl dizzily before him.

Samneric got up and peered cautiously outside of the cave, the hunt had been successful, and they both drew in a shaky breath. Henry and Maurice were busy climbing down the rocks to meet them halfway, and each noticed a look on their chief's face that appeared foreign to them.

Jack saw that Henry and Maurice were approaching them, rather excitedly at that. "Chief," Maurice shouted to him, "you've arrived! I'm glad to see that the hunt was successful." Henry followed him, breathlessly. "The twins did as you asked. They let 'im alone." Jack smiled up at them, pleased by what he was hearing. "Very good. You two've done well in my absence." He stopped in front of the two boys, motioning to the others that they should go on, and indeed they did.

He turned to them hastily. "How is the captive?" He poorly attempted to hide his concern, and the two boys, once filled with prideful euphoria gave each other a confused look. Henry spoke up. "Well, he'd been making an awful ruckus after he awoke, but gave it up after awhile." Jack flinched slightly. "Well, what's he up to now?" "He's been...quiet; he hasn't done much of anything." Maurice said, sensing a growing awkwardness in the air. Their Chief thanked them under his breath and made his way up to the cave, where he discovered that the rest of the boys were doing anything but awaiting further instruction.

Jack was appalled by the scene unfolding before him. Each boy had rushed in and began beating Ralph, reaching for exposed flesh and inflicting as much pain as they could in the energetic crowd. Some of them found room to beat on his ribs and shoulders with the end of their spears, eyes glistening with a thirst to inflict pain. Others fought to enter the circle from the outside as their appetite to kill went unsatisfied. Jack could not see Ralph and panic left him, leaving spitefulness to take its place.

He could barely hold back the urge to kill them all. "What in the hell are the lot of you doing?! You bloody idiots, get away from him!" He charged forward, parting the circle in madness. Any sanctity left in him burned up in the explosion of anger within. Countless boys toppled over as their Chief parted the way towards the center of the circle. At this point, most of the boys had sprinted away from the scene towards the other side of the cave, for fear Jack would tear them apart. When he finally made it to where Ralph lay motionless, Roger turned out to be the last boy who continued to beat upon his bruised frame.

Jack took his coarse, black hair in both of his hands and tossed him with all of his abundant strength to the side. Roger cried out in pain as he toppled to the ground, cringing in shock. Jack kept his stance after he realized what he had done. Was it not their plan to torture their prey, to beat him to a bloody pulp, to ultimately take his life? He panted madly, his eyes bright and intense. The cave was silent besides Roger groaning in pain. Fear choked the crowd of boys, who stood without movement. 'No,' Jack thought, staring at the ground, 'no...no, it wasn't time yet. Samneric were supposed to tie him up when we arrived. That's right, it isn't time yet. They all disobeyed me.' Shakily, he turned his head to Ralph, who lay bloody and unconscious on the rough ground. He gritted his teeth and turned around.

Jack shouted at the top of his lungs. "Get to the beach this instant, all of you! The plans have changed because of you idiotic mongrels! No one is allowed to touch him again! I am the only one who is permitted to even go near him! Now you'll all have to sleep outside of the cave and not enter again without my permission!" The room remained silent, unmoving. Roger sat up halfway, gazing madly at Jack. A gust of wind howled outside of the cave, rippling the ocean waters. Jack exhaled harshly, and sucked in more air. "Based on your behavior from this point on, I'll decide if you'll all be allowed to join in during his execution. Get out of here."

All of them turned and scurried away as one, huddling together in a tightly packed group. This reminded Jack of the group of tiny birds he saw walking back, who thought as one, who moved as one, who felt as one. He looked to Roger, who got back on his feet. He began, "Chief-" "Especially you, Roger. Leave." While watching Roger walk painfully, guiltily away, Jack felt a twinge of uneasiness at what he had been called. He had never called him Chief before; he even told him he never would. Jack did not question his decision, and told him he'd let him be the only one who could continue to call him Jack. This privilege had seemed to wordlessly disappear, as did the days in which everything was simple, in which everything was, for the most part, normal. A wave of despair washed over him.

Jack turned around to check on Ralph's condition. Bruises began to form on various areas of his stomach, back, arms and legs. Cuts from teeth and nails had long before begun to bleed, and after discovering a gash on Ralph's head, he inferred that he had been knocked unconscious. He steadied his shaky hand as he reached for the beaten boy's neck, to check his pulse. Sure enough, he was still alive, and he breathed a sigh of relief. After doing so, a pang of confusion and frustration erupted in his stomach. He took his fingers off of the boys neck. 'W-why on Earth do I care so much,' he thought to himself, getting up and beginning to pace back and forth. Another gust of wind blew, this time into the cave, causing a few leaves from the boys' beds to shiver and rise. 'Have I lost my mind?' He looked to Ralph, whose blood began to drip onto the ground. His eyes widened, and he could not fight the urge anymore.

At the back of the cave, now hidden under some leaves was Jack's shirt, which he had abandoned long ago in favor of war paint. He ran to it, dug through the leaves and fished out the shirt, now slightly damp and coated with dirt. After brushing it off he rushed to where the water sat in coconut shells and laid the shirt on the ground, pouring most of them onto the shirt in an attempt to clean it. He decided dispensing a few shells would suffice, and afterwards began to tear the shirt into strips. Carrying the strips in his hand, he ran to Ralph, cursing at himself for the deed he would have to do, the complete opposite of what he'd ever expected he would. After locating the largest cuts on Ralph's arms and legs, he bound them with the dampened pieces of shirt. He moved to his head and began hastily wiping away the blood that remained. The beginnings of a scab were forming, and he decided to direct his attention to the scraps he deemed minor. Jack held a handful of dampened shirt over the scraps, blushing, and after a while began to wipe the blood away. He made sure to work gingerly, and realize he could not remember the last time he ever did anything in such a way.

After cleaning off most of the blood on his leg, Jack noticed Ralph's right ankle was swelling a great deal. He used the remaining strips to make a sort of brace, so it would be nearly impossible to do any further damage. While he worked, he realized Ralph hadn't moved or been aroused at all, and felt a bit unsatisfied that he hadn't seen for himself that he could return to consciousness. Tying the last knot tightly, Jack attempted to shake off the feeling, and pulled Ralph to his bed of leaves, lying him in a comfortable position.

He sat down and slowly looked him over, letting his mind stop working. Silence thickened in the air, and in the distance a seagull flew over the ocean, who cut the silence in half with a monologue of squawking. He looked up and saw the seagull, free and full of vitality and life, who seemed to lived such a simpler, hopeful life than he. Jack's bright blue eyes, which began to fill with tears, looked down at Ralph once more. A fit of shaking and tears rose from the depths of his body for reasons he could not explain at first, and he let them take over his senses. He bowed his head, and let it fall forward onto Ralph's unmoving arm. He squeezed his eyes in agony and allowed sobs to choke him and to steal his breath. Then, like a ton of bricks, it hit him.

He was in love.

Omg..I'm gonna make myself cry!! T.T Well, here we finally are guys!! I hope I haven't made any of you cry .


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you all once again for your endless support and enthusiasm!! In all seriousness, that's what writes the fic X3 I went through serious writer's block while composing this chapter, so next chapter'll be more action-packed! I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!! XD

**Disclaimer:** If I wrote LOTF, I would have directed the movie, as I said before. If I directed the movie, I would have had Jack sing the song in my fic, "I Wasn't Prepared" by Eisley, which I also do not own X3.

..it wouldn't be as creepy as you think!! When I give the OK later on in one of these chapters GO LISTEN TO IT!! ...but not right now XD

Chapter 5

_Darkness enveloped his sight and silence filled his ears, ringing in a ceaseless monotony. He found that the ground was hard and cold beneath his bare feet, and in a sort of delirium he sank to his knees. He also had begun to notice how quickly his chest would fill and deflate, and tried fruitlessly to slow it down._

_Ralph eyes traveled to the blackness that lie before him, as if something were to leap from it and plunge something, specifically a blood-stained spear, into his heart. However, he felt no fear of death which, to most others, seemed dismal and frightening. A peaceful atmosphere soundlessly seeped into the dark abyss as if by magic. A smile formed, one which he could not feel spread across his face. A tiny spark, which seemed miles away, pierced Ralph's vision in a minute explosion. It expanded, and his eyes became irritated by its ferocity. It was difficult to fully see, but a small hand slowly reached from the growing warmth. It stretched further out, fingers outstretched, reaching for something to no avail. He began to reach out to grab the hand, but found that he could not move. A cry would have escaped his lips, but no sound could penetrate the volume of silence. He used all his strength to move. Unfortunately, he found it impossible. In his torturous predicament, Ralph wanted to sprint forward, hungry for escape and longing to hear some sort of noise. He truly believed it would free him from this world._

_The hand began to recede, and after another wordless cry the world around Ralph disappeared, and he felt himself fall through the floor._

Ralph's eyes fluttered open faster than they had ever before, and he found himself face to face with the crooked, fragmented wall of the cave. 'I was asleep,' Ralph thought to himself, trying to extract some sort of comfort from the words. 'I was asleep.' With as little movement as possible, he touched the jagged wall with his fingers, running them across its surface in order to get a better feel of the world around him, to know that he no longer was captive to his dreams. Startled, he noticed a sort of make-shift bandage wrapped tightly around a portion of his injured forearm. Memories of what he believed to be his last minute of life clouded his thoughts, and he could not believe that he had survived the ordeal. Was he supposed to be dead? Did Samneric bind his wounds in a genuine attempt to heal him? Ralph's eyes unconsciously ran across the wall, and after a moment he saw a shivering, wild shadow dance upon the wall, accompanied by an orange light. A jolt went through him, and he did not move any further.

Suddenly, he heard a sound, a soft, calming sound, one that seemed to penetrate his very being. Ralph felt overjoyed now that his sense of hearing was reconfirmed, especially after his haunting nightmare. He strained himself to listen as clearly as he could to the sound, and noticed it was a voice. It sounded sweeter and more angelic than any he'd ever heard before. He reminded himself confusedly that he had not lost his life and passed through Heaven's gates; he was not hearing the voice of one who watched over the world from white, distant clouds. The words emanating from the voice heightened in clarity.

_When the morning came_

_The bees flew down and_

_Wrapped themselves around me.  
_

_ And that's when I spoke the word_

_To have them trace your face for me in pollen._

Ralph lay, stunned at what he heard. 'Who...on this island?' It was difficult for him to comprehend any of the savages on the island emitting such a wonderful, other-worldly sound. He did not believe anyone who previously sang in the choir even remembered how to sing so well.

Even him. The leader of the hunters. He, the cause of his unbearable misfortune.

Realization suddenly came to him. The voice, the voice that sounded like it escaped an angel, seemed hauntingly familiar. Ralph felt cold sweat form on his face, and as he continued to contemplate what was occurring, the words melted into each other and sounded as it did when he awoke, when he did not know who accompanied him in the cave.

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Jack continued to feed the small fire he had built with dry, washed up wood collected from the beach earlier on. The tribe went along with the feast as planned, aside from the fact that huts needed to be built for each boy away from the cave, as he instructed them to do beforehand. His loneliness escaladed after the feast's conclusion, when each boy tiredly began to build their new sleeping quarters, and when the awkwardness between himself and Roger began. How he longed to return to the relationship they shared before the incident, to have one he respected as an equal for his strength and loyalty. Crestfallen, Jack continued to quietly sing. He had learned the song about a year before their fated plane crash. The melody, he discovered, allowed him to come to better terms with his feelings for the one he had once abhorred so greatly.

Jack looked towards the boy, who had become very still after constant tossing and turning. He looked away, eyeing the fire. 'He must have been tired.' An anger flared up in his chest, but he suppressed it as much as he was capable. He dropped another piece of driftwood into the fire, and watched sparks float upwards towards the ceiling. 'What am I going to do?' Jack thought, staring into the center of the busy flames.

Ralph lay perfectly still on his bed of leaves, keeping tabs on how evenly he was breathing. He knew that, unless he looked as if he had fallen into a deep slumber Jack would surely come to investigate, and perhaps upon investigating he would begin beating him as the others did before. He heard the singing stop, and could feel shuffling on the floor. Ralph waited until the shuffling faded away, far away, before he rose from his spot on the ground. He groaned, reaching for his injured ankle and found yet another bandage tied firmly around it. This one, however, appeared to be done with far greater care, and he let his fingers hover lightly over it. 'Who did this...? Where are Samneric?' He wondered if they had done this without Jack being aware of it. 'N-no...they're so loyal to him, how could they even dare?' If Jack saw him in such condition, Ralph formulated, he would surely punish the twins. Ralph shook off the longing to attempt an escape, for he hadn't a clue as to Jack's current whereabouts. He tried moving his ankle a bit, and actually found it difficult to do so due to the tight wrap. 'Are Samneric even capable of this...? Who-' His mind ceased to operate. Looking him dead in the eye was him, the one whom he truly feared more than anything.

Seagulls squawked annoyingly in the distance, and as the sound of them grew distant a gentle breeze brushed Castle Rock with weak intensity. Sparks scurried across the floor from the small fire and almost instantly became flakes of ash. Jack gripped his spear tightly in one hand and held Ralph's gaze in intense fear. His once soft expression hardened.

He took in a breath. "Unless you want more pain to endure, I'd suggest not moving a muscle." Ralph remained perfectly still, locked in his intimidating gaze. 'I'm going out for a moment. If anyone comes here...you yell." In one swift movement he turned and began making his way outside. Before he could disappear into the darkness, his captive spoke.

"Just take my life!" he shouted, shakily. Jack stopped in mid-step, frozen. "Just...just..." Ralph began, tears forming, 'Just kill me now! Isn't that what you want?" Tears began to stream down his face and he shook violently. Jack heard him sniveling and turned his head. "It's...not-" Ralph shot his eyes up to meet Jack's in angry desperation. "Why not, you swine?! I'm not afraid any longer; you won't gain anything by prolonging my death!" Now Jack became flustered, and stormed to where the fire burned hotly in the center of the cave. His eyes never detached from the golden ones that shone brighter than the flames. "I don't - that's not..." He sought for words to convey. "I'm not going to kill you. I've - I've changed my mind, for God's sake." Ralph stared at Jack in disbelief. He let him continue. "You are my prisoner...our prisoner." The fire crackled and spat, and Jack lowered his head. He turned around, inspired. "As long as you do what we - I, say, I might decide to let you join the tribe." Silence. Jack continued, "Let go of any hope you might have had of dieing. As long as you do what I say, you may or may not want to." His eyes met Ralph's with ferocity. He continued, 'As a prisoner, you're forbidden to leave this cave. You may only eat once a day. Any other instructions I give to you, you're to obey without question." He smirked to hide his anxiety and shock, losing all pride he once possessed. Ralph remained silent. "Do you understand me?" Letting his eyes trail towards the ground, he nodded slightly, ignoring several falling tears.

Outside of the cave, Jack had fallen to his knees, breathing harshly, Panic had physically exhausted his body, more so than any other hunt he had been through. He fought back the urge to scream until his lungs ached. 'Damn you, Ralph! Why...?' He struck the ground with his fist, not feeling the pain that would have otherwise been emitted from his bleeding knuckles. After letting his head fall to his knees, back painfully arched, he took two handfuls of red hair and squeezed them. Jack gritted his teeth so that he could not scream curses towards the one who caused him to act, to feel, like such a fool.

The full moon rose halfway up the sky, into clear sight for all to see but he, who was overcome with absurd thoughts which he and any other hunter on the island would have considered blasphemy.

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A boy sat quietly, restlessly, on the cool sand beneath a blanket of white stars. He watched the moonlight ripple on the dark ocean which never ceased to come in and out. In and out, in and out, he watched the water glide over the sand and douse it in silver. He plunged the sharpened end of his spear into it, turning it this way and that, forming a hole which quickly filled with black water. His grey eyes moved towards Castle Rock, and he grimaced. 'What have you become, Jack?' He would find out if it killed him.

Uh oh...I smell trouble brewing o.o Roger's so maniacal XDXD

I'll update soon guys!!


	6. Chapter 6

HOORAY FOR UPDATES!!! WOOT!!! XDXD I'm so glad I posted this when I did, I couldn't stand not writing this chapter after last chapter T.T Talk about nothing happening, huh? Thanks for the reviews too guys!!

**Disclaimer**: If I wrote LOTF, I would have had Piggy tell the littluns the "True Story of Camberly" like he did in the movie. I thought it was adorable X3.

Chapter 6

Cool, clear water rushed in a crystal river over several gray rocks, and the hum of the gushing stream make the forest come alive. Dew coated the bright green grass that grew in tangles on the bank, and the pale morning sun hung low in the sky. A small plop startled Jack out of his trance, and he saw a frog swim expertly past his reflection in the running water. He followed it with curious blue eyes, losing sight of it around a meander of the stream.

Yawning, he cupped some of the water in his hands and splashed it onto his face, continuing the process of removing excess paint. When he was sure there was nothing left, he got up and picked a few pieces of fruit that supplied more of it. Jack returned to the stream quickly to begin applying his daily mask, to ensure no one would see him without it on. With this war paint, he decided a great while back, others would no be able to identify the present Jack with the Jack he had once been. A saintly choirboy, expected to be kind at heart, no longer appealed to him in their new microcosm that was the island.

Jack covered the left side of his face with a pure white pigment, and as a contrast he painted the other side jet black. Dipping his finger into a pure red which reminded him of the blood he lived to shed, he drew a thick line from one ear to the other. As he began decorating his chest with similar colors, he thought of what the other boys were doing, what Roger was doing. He threw the empty shells of fruit into the forest after he finished, carefully picked his spear out of the bush and began making his way through the foliage, towards the beach. He had not walked six feet ahead before he bumped into a littlun, who quickly grabbed the spear he had dropped and lowered his head. "Sorry, Chief, I-I was going to get some fruit." Jack spoke softly to the boy. "S'alright. Where's everyone else?" He turned and pointed to the right, whispering, "The beach." Jack nodded, beginning his trek in that general direction.

As he walked, he began to think. What would he tell the others, and how would he explain the new circumstances? 'Even though I feel the way I do, it's not as if anyone else knows.' A calm washed over him as he reminded himself of the immense power he still had over the others. 'They'll never know. I'll make sure of it.' The light which reflected off of the white beach began to come into view, and he took a breath. 'They'll never know. Ralph...he-' The boy's name proved to be a powerful taboo. He had only once thought of his name after not doing so for quite a while, and even that otherwise insignificant factor sent shivers down his spine. However, it was not in fear, nor anxiety; Jack found that the feeling made him feel alive again, more than hunting, torturing, possessing power over his followers. Truly alive; even human.

It was rapture, something completely alien to him.

Shuddering, he stopped in order to formulate an explanation. 'R-Ralph...he and I got into a bit of a quarrel, and he seemed powerful, so I-' The idea sounded absurd to him. He continued to think. 'He could be useful in...' In what? Suddenly he felt hopeless, until an idea came to him. Jack smiled contentedly. 'I'm their chief; what I say is law, no matter what that may be. What do I have to prove to them? He's our prisoner, nothing more. This is their fault anyway.' He felt his spirits rise, and his elation gave him the same courage and pride he was sure had recently disappeared. Indeed, his plan would work. Jack strolled forward onto the beach, perfectly happy.

Rickety huts served as the divide between the forest and the beach, which shone brightly as it sucked in the sun's hot rays. The remains of a brittle fire, black and gray, lay isolated from the shelters, and boys could be seen splashing and playing in the water. A few other boys sat in the sand, digging holes which filled with water for them to sink their small feet into and splash about in. Others fought each other in amiable competition with their spears, which soon became wrestling matches. As Jack watched them all silently, leaning on a palm tree whose leaves whistled quietly in the wind, he heard footsteps slowly approach him to his right. He turned around and saw Roger walking towards him, expressionless.

"Good morning." Jack said to him in a confident voice. A rare smile graced his lips, and he spoke, "G'morning, Jack." A rush of surprise overwhelmed him, and he smiled as well at the name he had been called, much to his excitement. 'Thing's haven't changed so badly.' Jack thought to himself. As Roger went to stand by his side, other boys took notice of the two and gathered together feebly. Jack saw them come together and said, "All sit down."

They did just that, forming a familiar, neat semicircle around him. He found a log and sat down upon it, gripping his spear. He began, "I am impressed at the set-up you all have come up with. It will remain this way until I say otherwise." None spoke, awaiting his next words. "Obviously it was foolish of me to trust you all, and as a result this trust will not be won back easily. I've decided that, due to your behavior, our captive will not be killed. From this point on he will serve as our prisoner." He could tell that a wave of disappointment washed over the boys, who fidgeted and frowned. "However, because of this, new opportunities to do as we wish have become available, and you all may or may not join in with me based on how you rebuild the trust between us." Only a few dirty faces perked up at this comment; those who did not continued to stare and the ground. Jack certainly did not mind, and soaked up the attention like a sponge. "If you do win back my trust, we may begin to torture the prisoner and, perhaps, I'll even change my mind about keeping him alive." The boys squirmed excitedly and looked up at him, and some clapped and thanked him openly. This sign of approval turned into loud cheering and more clapping. Jack smiled, content.

He began again after they had settled down a bit. "To make sure all of you stay in line if I am absent, I want Roger to watch over your actions." Roger smirked at Jack in delight, and lovingly fondled his spear. He turned his attention to the pack of animated boys who became silent at the attention.

Jack continued to smile in satisfaction. "We will meet again tomorrow. For now on this shall be the meeting spot. Keep in mind what I have told you." They all nodded in agreement, and Jack gave the signal for them to return to their own business. They rose in unison and scurried off, swarming the beach.

Jack stood, studying Samneric in disgust as they walked away towards one of the huts. He turned towards the forest and nearly walked into Roger. He backed away saying, "How were they last night, after the feast?" Roger looked towards the ocean, saying, "Alright, I suppose. They were all frightened. I found it entertaining." Jack nodded, understanding. "Naturally, eh Roger?" The dark boy smiled, eyeing his spear. They both noticed a pelican fly overhead, towards the sea. It nearly stopped in midair, and took a nosedive into the water after finding some sort of prey. After a while it resurfaced, holding a flapping fish in its beak. When Jack became aware of his surroundings after he tore his eyes away from the bird, he found that Roger had wandered off towards a very long log, and sat down on it. He motioned for Jack to join him, and indeed he did.

After sitting next to Roger, Jack took his knife out from its hilt, and began sharpening his dull spear. Roger spoke quiet enough for only his neighbor to hear. "You know I won't apologize for yesterday, correct?" Jack nodded absently, ripping off a piece of bark hanging from the spear's tip. "I mean it, Jack. You knew I would have eventually done that. I don't regret it in the least. The prey sat unaware; you know how hard it is for me to keep myself together." Jack felt a pang of apprehension, and he turned his attention towards Roger. "You went against my instructions. Surely you can't blame me for being angry. You of all people..." The air between them thickened, and in the background a boy playing in the water cried out after apparently getting salty water splashed into his eye. Neither of them paid attention. "I'm only letting you know. If you don't want it to happen again tell it to get out of my sight." It. Was he referring to Ralph? Jack gritted his teeth; he knew he could not defend him. "Just keep away from the cave, if that's the case. You're obviously uncontrollable." Roger hid the fact that he could sense rare anxiety in Jack's voice, and smiled. He looked at Jack's spear which remained half-way sharpened. "Absolutely."

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The cave had been set free of the sun's direct contact as morning moved to midday, and Ralph welcomed the fairly late, cool afternoon. He had fought to stay sitting in one spot during the morning, and now he decided to take on the challenge of standing. After not doing so in a couple of days, he figured it was well worth the effort. He positioned himself in such a way that his body was supported by his right leg, and he placed one hand on the wall and the other on the side of the boulder. Wincing, Ralph began to rise, keeping his left leg off of the ground and his ankle unmoving. After a moment, he was standing upright and leaning on the boulder, hunched over a bit. Triumph flooded his thoughts, and he began to calm down after he noticed no terrible pain in his ankle. He studied the light outside, concluding it was sometime between two and three o'clock. Ralph hobbled to the front portion of the boulder where he found a shell of water and greedily drank from it, allowing some to spill to the floor. Breathing noisily, he threw the shell down and wiped his mouth in satisfaction. The waves outside of the cave could be heard crashing loudly on the side of the mountain. He could faintly hear some smaller rocks toppling over the side and plopping into the rough ocean waters, which could only mean someone was making their way up the mountain.

With as much ease as he could muster, Ralph sat himself down in front of the boulder and assumed his usual position with his arms wrapped about his injured leg. No fear flooded his veins as it used to, and he sat unmoving as a figure appeared. To his chagrin, however, it was not Jack as he had been expecting. It was one who would not cease to inflict as much agony as possible. It was Roger.

When he saw Ralph sitting idly on the floor, he began to giggle in amusement. "How in the hell did you find it within you to get up?" Ralph looked up at him, silent and angry. Several bandages and the brace wrapped around his ankle came to his attention, and he smiled far more wickedly. "Who did that for you? Surely you didn't do that by yourself." "I don't know who did it, and I don't really care." Ralph retorted. "You're not allowed up here; I'm sure you know that." "A prisoner shouldn't talk back to anyone but a prisoner, and seeing as how there's not another one here, I'd say you don't even qualify to speak to me," he said severely. Roger made his way over to where the blond boy sat, and defensively Ralph kicked at him with his good leg. "Get out of here!" he shouted, and in blind fury he continued to kick towards him. Roger evaded the kicks and slapped him square in the face. The force of the hit was so great that Ralph fell to the side and cried out at his new affliction. Roger knelt down in a hurry and forcefully pressed his hand to Ralph's mouth.

"Don't make a sound, you idiot!" Roger whispered. "If you promise not to make a sound I'll let you go!" After a minute of feeble struggling, Ralph nodded with great effort. Roger complied, and Ralph sucked in a large breath, and almost began hyperventilating to gain as much oxygen as possible. Roger remained close to him, who continued to lie fatigued on the ground, in order to assume power. "If you answer me I'll leave now. Why did Jack choose to keep you alive?" Between quick breaths Ralph answered weakly, "He-he...told me he'd changed his mind." Roger grabbed his hair and lifted his face towards his own so that their eyes met. "I know that you're lying to me right now! It wasn't because of a 'lack of trust' or anything of the like! You had better tell me what happened or I'll kill you with my bare hands." Ralph's head dropped back onto the ground, but Roger did not pry his fingers from his hair which he pulled painfully. Ralph, gritting his teeth, said, "That's what he told me, he told me he changed his mind. I'm not lying to you. I-I wish I knew what overcame him."

The savage boy gazed at him with a mad look in his gray eyes, and he let go of the blonde hair which had been tangled between his fingers. He stood with a start, and said loudly, "He wouldn't have cared if we beat you like we did unless something happened; I'm going to find out what happened to him if it's the last thing I do on this bloody island. You're not going to live for long; count the hours until I return and slice your throat like a bloody pig!" He turned and before storming out of the dismal cave he said, "If you keep this 'meeting' a secret, your death will be quick." With that, he left.

Ralph, left unable to stand, swore under his breath. He realized that this was the first time he had ever really wished to see the new chief; so that he may figure out what change he had undergone and if his savage ways could be altered. If this could occur, they had an extremely small chance of surviving and getting off of the terrible island, at the very least. This desire burned like a mere spark within Ralph, and made him halfway interested in awaiting the return of that damnable Jack Merridew.

Ooh snap, Roger's an animal o.o

I feel good stuff in the future guys, thanks for reading up to this point, I'll update in a bit!!


	7. Chapter 7

Whew...I updated pretty fast on this chapter X3 Thanks to February vacation I've been able to put my ideas together and such for this chapter AND next chapter which is gonna be the most important...according to my plans now at lease XD I hope you guys enjoy this one, it's a bit of a doozy XDXD

**Disclaimer**: If I wrote LOTF, Percival would have pronounced his middle name as it's written, "Wemys" and not "Williams" o.O It just annoys me to no end T.T

Chapter 7

Twilight had just begun to set in, and the island was bathed in a darkness that made the world around just distinguishable. Jack realized as he made his way up the rocky slope of Castle Rock that it was a whole new trail in the dark, and after not doing so for quite a while keeping his footing became increasingly difficult. When he found a good spot to rest on the crevice of a large rock, he leaned back onto the towering wall of the mountain and admired the bright golden and yellow tones which adorned the opposite portion of the sky, and looked to where they began mixing with the darkness of the approaching night. He moved his attention towards the ocean before him, a seemingly infinite black body whose waves made it sway with life. Feeling a cold wind brush against him, he decided to move to the oncoming cave quickly in order to make a warm fire. As Jack trod onward, he silently prayed that Ralph had fallen asleep so he would not have to face him again, and as he lost the ability to control his emotions the courage he gained during the day seemed to dissipate.

As he made his way up to the mouth of the cave, unfortunately, he found that his prayer had not been answered. Ralph sat on the opposite side of the cave, assuming his usual positioned that he made look quite casual after doing so for days on end. Jack took in a quick breath and, regaining his stature, entered the cave. Ralph's eyes did not flinch from their spot on the floor, and Jack became a bit anxious. 'I needn't make conversation, what's the point?' Jack thought to himself, unconsciously heading towards the small pile of driftwood he had made the day before. 'He seems content enough anyhow.' He picked up a good portion of the pile and moved it haphazardly towards the center of the cave, where ashes lay from the previous fire. With the bundle of wood he created a sort of teepee-like structure, and satisfied with his work he stood up and went to retrieve two other sticks to create a source of friction that would, inevitably, start a fire. Unbeknownst to Jack, Ralph had begun studying his actions, and his eyes widened at what he had begun to do.

He watched Jack expertly rub the two stick together, and remained silent while a tiny stream of smoke emerged from the sticks. Jack continued until a spark appeared, and a small flame broke out. While he began to blow on it to spread it out, Ralph sat in shock. He though, 'If he could do that with two sticks...they wouldn't have any need for...' He breathed carefully in, held the oxygen in his lungs, and released.

"Where're Piggy's specs?" he said, almost in a whisper, and Jack's eyes lifted to meet Ralph's. When he realized he had begun to blush, he lowered his head towards the fire and continued to blow on it. After a while, he spoke. "Why do you care? You don't light the fires anymore." "Where're Piggy's specs?" Ralph repeated, this time with greater force. Jack looked up at Ralph once more, and realized that the boy had become rather angry. "They'll serve you no purpose, you fool. It's not as if he needs them anymore." Ralph stood as quickly as he could, leaning on the wall, and shouted, "You're savage! An animal! How could you even think of speaking that way?!" Jack began to rise, but backed off when Ralph began to speak again, this time with greater indignation as memories of his dear friend Piggy and his terrible death erupted in his mind. "Don't you realize a human life was taken, Jack Merridew?! He wasn't some pig, he was a human!" He lowered his voice and said, "You're a monster." Jack stood and stormed to where Ralph stood fragilely against the rock wall. He stopped when they were dangerously close, and began speaking quietly, but severely. "You're speaking as if I killed him. You want the specs so badly, go get them; they're on top of the god forsaken mountain. We don't need them anymore anyhow." Ralph breathed shallowly, but kept his eyes locked onto Jack's. "I'm giving you permission. Go get them if you want them so badly." Jack back up no more than an inch after realizing how close he was to Ralph, and waited for him to make a move. After looking him over, reality struck. 'W-What am I thinking? He can't walk up the mountain; he can barely stand,' Jack thought in apprehension.

He noticed that Ralph began to turn and said loudly, "Wait...wait a minute." He thought for a moment. The boy looked towards him, waiting for Jack to speak. He stood dumbfounded for a moment, letting his eyes trail outside of the cave, and Ralph lost his patience. "I'm going up to get them now." "N-No!" Jack stuttered, "No...I'll...I'm going to get them. Sit down." Ralph raised an eyebrow at him in confusion, and lowered himself down to the ground. Jack walked briskly towards the cave's exit. Ralph watched him anxiously. 'What on Earth is he doing? What's gotten into him?' he thought, aghast.

The meeting between himself and Roger popped up in his mind, and he began to see what the boy was really talking about. Jack had certainly undergone some sort of change, but what this might have been was beyond him. He began to mold explanations as to what could be running through his mind. 'He could be toying with me, but...in such a queer way. He's never acted this way before. Could he want to cooperate with me?' Ralph began to brighten up. 'Could he finally want to be rescued? Perhaps he doesn't want to admit it, but that's definitely a possibility.' He felt his mouth twitch into a smile, but shook it off. 'I must think logically. He couldn't have changed his mind all of a sudden, that'd never happen.' The bit of hope Ralph had of somehow pulling together to get off of the hellhole of an island began to disintegrate.

Absently Ralph watched the entrance to the cave, and became startled when Jack crept around the corner and walked in. He threw the glasses at Ralph with a single movement and stationed himself in front of the fire, which had strengthened during their argument. As he took up a twig and prodded the burning sticks, blackened with the intense heat, Ralph inquired with half of a voice, "Why'd you-" "For Christ's sake, look at yourself; you can't climb a mountain. I didn't think you of all people would lose your sense of logic." The words that were spoken involuntarily shocked Jack, and to hide his embarrassment he got up and stood in front of the cave's entryway. Ralph watched as Jack folded his arms and leaned on the wall, with the same solidity as the rock around him.

'Only you could make me say something like that,' Jack thought, allowing the cool evening breeze to tousle his red hair. Ralph watched the warm light emitted from the fire, and noticed how it sank into crevices in the cave that would have otherwise been darkened by the nighttime. He spoke absently, "Why won't you kill me?" Jack twitched slightly. "What changed your mind? What're you thinking...?" Jack did not move at all, but spoke angrily, "Why should I have a reason? I just don't feel like it. I-I don't know, I just don't care." A pulse beat in his head.

Ralph glanced at him, and watched the firelight dance across his tanned back. "How can you just change your mind-" The pulse beat louder. "Why do you care so much, Ralph?!" Jack had turned around, and his crystal blue eyes stared at the blonde madly. He breathed harshly, and after hearing Ralph's name spoken aloud for the first time in what seemed like ages, out of his own mouth no less, his heart began to race at an alarming rate. Ralph looked at him, utterly baffled.

Jack looked down to the floor, eyes wide with fury and lungs aching from working so hard. He realized that shock was creeping up on him as it did before, but he found that he could not move. The struggle to run outside against the shock that froze him paralyzed his body further. 'This is ridiculous, I've got to gain control over myself. I shouldn't be reacting like this to something so small!' He realized, however, that this was not as insignificant of a thing as he would have liked to believe, and that he was now a slave to his unpredictable emotions that Ralph, the target of his crippling infatuation, brought on. How he longed to express his unbreakable feelings, to hold Ralph in his arms, to feel his heart beat against him. To release himself from this inner prison could allow Jack to once again possess control over himself, and to finally love Ralph with all of his might. The pulse continued to beat.

'There's no way...I'll never have these things; there's no way he could even begin to understand. Not here. Not now. Never.'

Ralph continued to stare at him, completely unaware of his internal conflict. He hated to admit it, but the sight of Jack, the violent leader of a pack of equally violent boys, gasping for breath and barely moving frightened him. He got up with ludicrous care. "Jack...what's wrong with you?" Hearing Ralph's voice pulled Jack back to reality, and without looking at him he said, quivering, "I'll be back later. Don't - don't leave. I'll be back." Holding his ribs to bring comfort towards his burning lungs, Jack walked out, not looking back.

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The jungle, entangled with creepers and sharp foliage, made Jack's mad dash from the mountain increasingly difficult. The darkness that devoured the island did not help matters, but he drove onward without stopping for breath. Exhausted from running so far and having to break through the jungle's natural barriers, Jack pulled out his knife and began to slash madly at anything in front of him, tearing up leaves and plants of all sizes. As the task wore on he decided to stop, sliding down the side of a tree to the grassy floor of the wilderness. He breathed harshly and loudly, feeling tears escape his eyes but not caring enough to wipe them away. Suddenly he felt a rush of anger and frustration and, while pushing himself to the grass, he shouted and pounded in a delirious, energetic frenzy. Dementedly, he sat up, took up his knife and turned towards the tree, his target. A storm of knife stabs came towards the tree, and Jack made sure that he did not miss. He continued to stab the tree until the side of it was mangled and damaged profusely, and upon finishing the task he fell to the ground. He sobbed openly in great despair, providing additional hurt to his lungs and chest.

After his prolonged episode of cries and sobs, Jack turned to his side and, with his knife, pierced the moist soil. He spoke aloud without being fully aware. "R-Ralph...you - I...you're making me crazy!" Letting more tears escape, he began plowing through the dirt with his blade, still unaware of what he was really doing. "Why - why...you, why you, I don't understand, I don't..." He understood perfectly. The boy whose fair hair rustled in the gusts of sweet ocean wind, whose bright, golden eyes sparkled in excitement and happiness, whose voice was soft and comforting, whose presence made those around him feel safe and comforted, the one who had everything he wanted, everything he loved. More tears fell to the ground, which absorbed them as if they had never existed.

For a while he lay very still, sniffling and allowing more tears to drip effortlessly from his reddened eyes. After a while, however, he realized how late it had gotten and simply wanted to sleep away the rest of his inner turmoil which did not cease even then. Wiping away the salty moisture from his face, he stood up with great difficulty and began making his way back to the cave, the haven, where the one he cared about more than anything lay soundly sleeping.

He did not realize that from behind fanning tropical leaves gleamed a set of gray eyes, who disappeared after Jack soundlessly into the night.

OOH YEAH CHIBIFIED CLIFFHANGER!!! Next chapter coming real soon guys, hope you enjoyed this one!!!


	8. Chapter 8

Oh boy...I just hope you guys like this chapter, that's all I'm gonna say XDXD

**Disclaimer**: If I owned LOTF, Jack would have shouted, "I'M A NINJA GINGA!!!" XD Don't ask, one of those funny inside jokes X3

Chapter 8

It was now. Now or never. He had seen the true frailty and genuine heartache of the one he lived to serve, the one who he would do anything for, the one he would kill, be killed, for.

Roger, in blind, horrible, dangerous fury, ran as fast as his legs could take him to reach the being who surely did not deserve life. Ralph, he told himself repeatedly in a demented mantra, would die that very night so his Chief would not have to suffer another day of agony and despair.

He had it all planned out: he would make sure the boy regretted his wrongdoings which he could not repent for with torturous words and actions, and would slash his neck and stab his heart so that he would never feel again. The vision Roger created in his mind of the scenario was deliciously exciting, and a grin spread from ear to ear on his dirty face. He repeated his mantra, "Ralph will die tonight; Ralph will die tonight; Ralph will die tonight..."

As he ran effortlessly through his harem, he thought, 'I knew it. I knew it was that bloody idiot who did this to Jack. He acted as if he knew nothing. He lied to me. He lied...I'll make sure he won't live long enough to lie - or cause Jack pain again.' Roger could see it clearly: Ralph crying out in pain, stabbing deeper into his flesh, bleeding until he was a dry husk of a human being. The mountain towered over him, and he giggled hysterically as he sprinted up the jagged rock.

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The moon shone brightly and sat snugly in between thousands of stars, and oddly enough Jack was eager to escape the beauteous nighttime scenery in favor of sleep. As he walked into the cave he became shocked to see Ralph feeding the fire. He did not appear tired, and actually seemed very alert while studying the center of the flames. Jack felt he could not handle speaking a word to him after his episode, and simply walked towards his bed of leaves. He thought, 'He must be so angry with me; he'll never understand, will he?' Ralph avoided eye contact by continually feeding the fire, aiding in the defense against the cold gusts of wind from the dark sea. Because Jack was busy removing the belt which held his knife and lowering himself to the floor, he failed to notice the sound of falling rocks. Ralph certainly heard the sound, and while ceasing his thoughts he tensed his body, gazing outside of the cave in painful anticipation. He knew from experience that this could be a sign of impending danger. 'Who, what, at this time of night...?' Jack had noticed how still and quiet Ralph had suddenly become, and followed his gaze outside of the cave for the source of his behavior. More rocks fell, and a sudden hush fell over the boys save for the sound of the crackling fire.

No rocks fell.

The apprehension tore at Ralph's insides, and he gulped in response to his fright. Jack looked at Ralph, eager to ask what was wrong, what had happened, what was troubling him. Unfortunately, just as the words began to formulate on the tip of his tongue, he lost his voice.

From then on, the sequence was like slow motion to Jack. Ralph's eyes widened and he began to vigorously back away towards the back of the cave. A slight turn of his head, and another boy could be seen running into the space, eyes glistening and spear held in one fist. War paint that seemed so familiar to him moved in a blur against the firelight as he hastened towards the back of the cave. That was where Ralph had shimmied, Jack noticed, and suddenly he realized what was happening. The spear, newly sharpened; the mad look in the hunter's eye, the familiar terror radiating from the prey as it screamed in fright; the thirst, the craving, the burning desire to rip, tear, stab, bite, claw, destroy.

Immediately Jack shot up and sprinted towards Ralph, shouting against Roger's battle cry. He saw Ralph as a blurry figure, now standing, with arms folded in front of his face to somehow shield himself against his spear. Once the blonde boy was against the wall, helpless to escape and powerless to defend himself, Roger lifted his spear higher into the air with two conditioned arms. Jack leaped in front of Ralph, and the murderous boy slashed sideways with all of the strength he could muster.

There, splattered in a thin stream against the wall, shone the crimson gold.

Ralph screamed in shock and horror. Roger had carved a long line across Jack's chest with the tip of his spear, but instantly stopped his attack. Slowly, he made out the figure before him, the one who had jumped between himself and the prey. Crystalline eyes, which shone like ice, widened in response to the tear. Holding his arms to his chest Jack lowered to the ground, leaning on the adjacent wall, quivering at the dripping blood and oncoming pain. Roger dropped his spear in stupefaction and stared at Jack, who continued to tremble. Frozen, he then looked towards Ralph, who gave him a similar look of distress and hysteria. He began to back away, still holding the boy's gaze, and nearly walked into the fire. Ralph felt Jack begin to lean on his tensed legs for support, and ignored the pain in his ankle. Roger did not rip away from the boy's gaze until he was nearly out of the cave, then turned and ran away.

Jack had begun to breath quickly, heavily, and his shaking worsened. Snapping himself out of the shock, Ralph saw that he had begun hyperventilating. He gently got down while still supporting the convulsing boy. He thought frantically, 'Why, why did you do that?! Roger'd finally come for me...but you...' Kneeling behind him, he whispered, "J-Jack...are you okay?" Nothing came from Jack but harsh, quick breaths. He positioned Jack against the wall and crawled around him to assess the damage. Ralph gasped at the vast amount of blood, now trickling over his tan arms and running in rivulets down his chest. His eyes were now squeezed shut, and Ralph feared that if he did not do something quickly, Jack would pass out from blood loss. However, he had no idea what he could do.

Nonetheless, Ralph knew that he needed to save this boy. No matter what he may have done to him, to his beloved friends who had passed on from this world, to those still remaining, he needed to help him. Jack, the ruthless killer, the tyrannical chief, had saved his life from the wrath of his own comrade.

Time, he knew, was running short. His eyes trailed over the entire cave, looking for something to stop the blood flow. Suddenly he noticed the bandages still wrapped around his frame, and an idea came to him. He removed Jack's knife from its hilt and began to rip the tattered remains of his shirt apart. Jack slowly lifted his head up to watch what Ralph was doing, and memories of what he had done for him flooded his mind. Everything around him was blurry except for that boy, who was now cleaning the shirt off in quite a similar manner as he had. He smiled, holding his stomach as if it would fall apart any moment. They were, he concluded, connected in this way, if anything. He whispered, "R-R...Ralph..." Ralph hadn't heard him, and upon finishing his task he crawled carefully over to Jack so as not to hurt his ankle. He said firmly, "Put down your arms, I'm going to take care of the blood." Jack stared at him with a scared expression, and Ralph inwardly breathed. 'Jack...what is wrong with you? What happened - what drove away the savage inside of you?' Ralph shuddered at how human he had become, and how he could finally identify himself with the boy on some level as he did so long ago. It seemed like centuries past since he could look this person in the eye.

Jack finally complied, moving his bloody arms down further but not untwining them. He groaned at the pain, and Ralph said to him, "Hold still. This might sting a bit, but it's better than bleeding all over the place." Jack nodded, still breathing harshly. As Ralph started to dab at the excess blood, Jack bit his lip so he would not cry out from the pain that was nearly unbearable. Ralph continued to work, and found that he held a new admiration for the boy who refused to show pain. 'That's just like you, I suppose,' he thought, finishing the cleanup. "Now I'm going to wrap some of this around the cut, okay? You'll have to lift your arms for a minute," Ralph said, and Jack once again did as he was told. The pain he experienced was so fierce he failed to notice how close Ralph was as he looped the straggly pieces of shirt around his chest to cover the wound.

Once he was done, the blood flow had gotten a bit better, and so far only a little stained the bandages. "There," said Ralph, backing up an inch, "you should be alright for now, aside from the pain of course." Jack continued to breath in quick spurts, and he asked, "Are you okay?" He mentally regretted asking such a foolish question, and Jack understandably shook his head no. Ralph sighed. "Jack, why did you do that? Why didn't you just let him do it? That would have saved you so much trouble." The room remained silent aside from Jack's breathing and the crackling, sizzling fire that continued to warm the room. Ralph felt rare sympathy towards the boy, and felt he could not shake it off. He embraced it. "Do you want me to be a prisoner that badly?" The boy did not say a word. After a minute, he decided not to probe Jack for answers in his horrific state. Ralph said softly, "You really ought to try and slow down your breathing. That'd make the pain better, I suppose."

Abruptly, Jack reached out towards Ralph in one swift motion and wrapped his arms securely around his body, and began to gently weep. Ralph sat still, not anticipating Jack's actions, and kept his arms to his sides. His eyes widened, and he felt a blush creep menacingly towards his face. He said, "W-What are you doing?" This was something he would never have expected the boy to do, and therefore did not know how to react. 'What has gotten into him? Has the blood loss made him batty?' Ralph thought, feeling Jack shake in spurts. He felt tears drip onto his lap, and said, "What has gotten into you?" Between cries, Jack whispered, "You...that bloody fool...almost killed..." He lost his words in fits of tears, and Ralph did not know what to make of it. 'Should I really - should I console him? I don't..." He decided without question that no matter what Jack was doing, he was feeling some sort of emotional pain as well as physical. The pangs of sympathy never wavered. "Why...why don't you lie down, Jack?" He felt his head feverishly shake in a negative gesture, and continued to cling onto the boy as if it was his only chance of survival. 'Oh, all right, for God's sake. You're acting like such a child.' Slowly, nimbly, Ralph put his arms around the boy and kept them still. There they sat, complete opposites closer then they had ever been before, and Ralph was suddenly overcome with a warm, tingling feeling. The sympathy morphed into one goal: to find out what had happened to Jack, no matter what horrors may befall him tomorrow.

After all Jack had done to him, Ralph felt closer to him than ever before. He shivered. He could not find it within himself to be angry at the broken person in his arms who would have otherwise been ruthless and terrible. The fire continued to dance and burn as if nothing awful had taken place.

"There, it's - everything's alright. Now why don't you go to sleep; you need to rest off a good bit of the pain, don't you?" Jack slowly crept away from Ralph's arms, wincing from the searing pain in his chest, and wiped away a few of the tears in obvious embarrassment. Ralph was relieved to see at least some of his characteristic pride show through. Jack lifted his face towards the boy who was now repositioning himself after the awkward embrace. After regaining some of his breath, he whispered, "I can't sleep. There's no..." He stopped.

'Ralph, why can't you see it?! You idiot!' Jack thought in desperation. 'Look at me! Look at me! Look what I have done for you! Wasn't that enough?!' Ralph could see that Jack was utterly pain-stricken, and said, 'Please, just tell me Jack. I-I know that I may be your prisoner, but I don't care, I don't care about the rights I have and don't have. I can see it on your face, something's wrong." He paused. "Really, really wrong. I'm seeing you how I saw you when we first landed on this island." Jack fought it off, the urge to say _I'm chief! What I saw is law! You needn't understand, you shouldn't care! Why do you care so much, prisoner?! I'm perfectly normal!_ "I'm - not that person anymore, you know that. I can never go back to being that person. He's gone. I'll never be that person again, b-because-" "Because what," Ralph answered, raising his voice. The distance between them grew but they still seemed to come together. "Because you're 'chief'?! That's bollucks! Why am I seeing you this way then, you bloody liar?!" The air stirred with intense emotions; anger, frustration, anxiety, fear, love.

Jack could not take it any longer. The emotions threatened to eat him alive. He would not let them win.

The pain did not bother him as it did mere moments ago, and he crawled over to where Ralph sat only a few feet in front of him. Carefully, gently, feeling tears fall, shaking, cold but warm, desperately, so desperately, lovingly, Jack's lips met with Ralph's.

Longest...chapter...EVER XDXD First time I've ever written a kiss sequence, sorry if it doesn't fit your standards T.T HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOYED!! Next chapter up soon X3


	9. Chapter 9

OMG GUYS I'M SO SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED!!! I got a nasty little bug and it's been eating away at me for a few days T.T AND I had almost no inspiration to write until now, and I refuse to continue fics with that kind of mindset; it makes the wait not worth it, right? XDXD Hopefully you guys'll like this one, it took me quite a while o.o

**Disclaimer**: If I owned LOTF, Jack would complain that him getting into a fight with Ralph and disconnecting from his "lot" in chapter 8 would cause more crazy fan fiction to be written XDXD...I also don't own the song by Eisley entitled, "I Wasn't Prepared" You guys can listen to it after you read this chapter, it may give you a better sense of Jack's singing style X3

Chapter 9

No sound penetrated the island, thick with blackness, save for Roger's panting and groveling, and nothing interrupted the stream of curses echoing from his mouth. His mind had recently exploded with senseless thoughts and flashing pictures, bright and sharp with horrific detail. Scratched skin, kissed by the tropical sun, flickering yellow and orange, ice blue, liquid red. Now that he had seen his blood, it was no longer appealing - appetizing - to him, the riches that he incessantly mined for. He had always struck gold, until now. Now he hadn't found a thing.

Roger knew that the days of killing for the blood, for the thrill, for the satisfaction of quelling his deepest desires, had disappeared and now meant nothing. Now that he had caused such a travesty to befall the one he truly cared for, he would never forgive himself. He felt that there was nothing he could do to show his real, undying devotion to him, to Jack. What reason would he, the dictator, the sole supremacy of the island, have to defend such a horrible creature?

Revenge, pure and sick, sat in his stomach.

After he regained some sort of conscious feeling, Roger found that he had collapsed on the cool beach, and the tide annoyingly nudged his arm and leg. Its salty, cold fingers reached out and ran across his skin, causing him to shiver. He longed for the absence of physical sensation, something he had had minutes before. 'He felt every bit if it. I...I made him...' Reality crashed down on him; he had indeed shed Jack's blood. Gripping his sandy hair in two fists he cried out with great ferocity and anguish.

He could not fathom how Ralph had survived. If he survived once again, Roger would not.

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The unreality of the late hours of the night thickened the cave's atmosphere further. Outside, the Earth was hauntingly still, and even in the cave all seemed suspended in a motionless frame of time. Nothing moved, nobody moved, besides the fire that danced excitedly and sent tiny sparks to and fro. Even the breath of the two boys had ceased; every sound that once passed through their lips was interrupted. Carefully, Jack pulled away.

Ralph's eyes were wide with utter shock as they locked onto Jack's. His fingers fumbled towards his lips, but he refused to touch them. He sat motionless on the warm ground, drawing in a shaky breath. Jack never broke away from Ralph's gaze as he searched for Ralph's thoughts that could usually be read clearly on his face. This time, however, he was indecipherable. 'He knows now, doesn't he?' Jack thought, wiping away stray tears. He wanted to break the deafening silence, but chose not to in favor of allowing Ralph to recover. But the boy merely sat, not breaking away until just a moment later as his eyes trailed slowly to the floor. Ralph's mind was astir with thoughts and emotions. 'J-Jack...' He could not bring himself to think coherently.

"You - you must know now." Jack whispered, blushing madly but not caring enough to turn away as he usually did. "J-J..." Ralph was stupefied. Slowly Jack began, eager to reason with the boy. "This island is far different from the place we used to live in. Am I wrong?" Ralph sat silently, allowing his fingers to trail aimlessly on his lips. "This sort of thing...it might not have been accepted at home, b-but -" Now Jack was lost for words. Was this wrong? He looked for something simple, an easy way to offer an explanation. "I don't - care if this might be wrong. I don't know how this happened or what it means. I just know that I feel it...and it's killing me." Other tears slipped across his face, and Jack simply let them fall. Now Ralph knew, he finally knew.

Ralph looked up to him slowly, blushing now as well. Was this not the person who wanted to destroy him, the one who chased him through the jungle and even attempted to smoke him out? Was this not the boy who hated him with all of his heart and soul? Who would do anything to be rid of him? The kiss was brought back to his mind. "Jack, you..." Jack lifted his head despairingly. He began quietly, "Ralph, where...do you know where those bandages came from?" Ralph looked at him, confusedly. He looked down at the several reddened bandages, and touched one that wrapped securely around his arm. He let his eyes trail back to Jack's, and he shook his head. "R-Ralph...my tribe, they disobeyed me. They attacked you. Surely - surely you remember..." He certainly did, and with a nod of the head he gestured for Jack to continue. "I - I...the way that I feel about you, it got in the way. It ruined the plans. I told them to never come back to the cave. Roger came back, he came back to - to try and kill you." In a sudden, violent wave of anger he struck at the ground with his fist, causing the knuckles that had healed after that night to bleed once again.

Roger's question slipped into Ralph's mind. Who did that for you? Surely you didn't do that by yourself. Ralph said softly, almost to himself, "Did...you - ?" Rubbing his knuckles, suppressing more tears, Jack nodded gravely.

His efforts failed, and the tears dripped to the floor. Holding his chest in agony Jack began to shiver. Ralph could not comprehend the situation, and never in a million years could he have predicted it. He felt a rush of sympathy like he did minutes ago, but now he did not know how long he could suppress it. It ate away at his heart and tore at his mind, and as he watched Jack whimper and cry he could hardly contain himself. He was no longer the Jack Merridew he had known before, even when they landed on the island. Ralph began to understand how his emotions were, in fact, killing him.

There were two other pieces to this puzzle that startled and troubled him immensely. 'That...that night...the song I heard.' He knew it was Jack, the person who had emitted such a beautiful sound. Why had it been sung? He struggled to remember the words, but found that he could not. Suddenly, something came to him.

_...trace your face for me in pollen._

Abruptly Jack stood, hunched over a bit at the pain in his chest, and he said, "I'm just going out there, I'm not leaving. Don't follow me. Go to sleep." Ralph stared at him incredulously. "I'm coming back in a few minutes, just got to get some air. You're safe, okay? Just sleep." The authority that characteristically rose out of Jack did not have the back-bone it once did. Despite this, Ralph nodded, happy to be alone for a moment. As Jack bumbled out of the cave, he crawled carefully over to a bed of leaves that had once belonged to one of the other boys. How did Jack expect him to simply sleep after the events that had just come to pass?

Ralph settled down into the bed, letting the fire draw his golden eyes into its flames, letting it burn into them and warm his skin. He stared blankly at the flames who never ceased to shiver and move with the minute gusts of wind and the collapsing ashes. This night felt endless to him, and wished desperately that he could study the position of the moon, if there was one, and calculate how late it really was. With a fall of heart he realized this was impossible as long as Jack stayed awake.

Jack...when had he begun to feel this way for him? "Trace your face for me in pollen..." Ralph whispered to himself, watching the glowing flames. Unknowingly he moved his hands to his lips, letting them hover lightly over where Jack had kissed him. After he realized what ridiculous thing he was doing he pulled them harshly away, settling them down onto his rising and falling chest. 'What the bloody hell, Jack? My first kiss...it was supposed to be with someone else!' Ralph felt anger creep quietly into his stomach and relished its presence. He had always wondered who he would share the experience with first, what beauteous person would he be drawn to in love as he had seen in so many movies back in England. Jack's face appeared in his mind, the look of desperation and longing he held in his eyes reappearing over and over again, never dissipating. He shook his head madly, turning over to face the wall that had been illuminated by the fire. The ceaseless feeling of pity and condolence swarmed his mind, and his heart began to beat harshly in his chest. Ralph struggled to replace the feeling with the anger he had felt moments before, but had no success. Turning back over, he saw his hand move meticulously towards his mouth, and once again he had to pull away.

The final piece of the puzzle, the one that disturbed Ralph more than he ever wished to accept, tore at his innards. When Jack had leaned in so closely to him, when he could feel his breath softly against his face, it hadn't bothered him as he would have thought. The good feeling that it brought him was one he was ashamed of above any he had ever felt, and continued to push it into the backdrop of his mind. It broke free of the chains he tried to bind it with, and flooded his mind incessantly. There was nothing he could do, he knew, and decided to accept it in the exhaustion of the late night.

It replayed over and over in his mind, the despairing look that Jack's face bore. He concluded the reason it had affected him in such a way was due to the overwhelming feeling of empathy, of knowing what Jack was feeling and having no way to comfort him. This feeling, however, was different from other feelings of sympathy he carried in immense loads. He recalled a time where he felt bad for Piggy after he had been constantly picked on at assemblies and judged for his weight and medical condition. Ralph had begun to accept him as an equal to make up for the pain he had endured from the other boys. On the contrary, in his present predicament, he could not reciprocate Jack's feelings of devotion. Ralph could not comfort Jack in such a complete way, and thus felt inarticulate in formulating words of comfort to tell him. Despair suddenly hung over him in a tremendous cloud.

Abruptly Ralph heard a small sound pierce the wave of quietness. Instinctively he sat up, and noticed that outside of the cave a voice he knew so well erupted in the air. He feverishly got on hands and knees and crawled over to the edge of the cave, paying no mind to the searing pain in his ankle as it dragged uselessly behind him. The voice, he knew, would begin to sing, and he wanted to hear it. The song that had haunted him since he first heard it...

Ralph leaned on the edge of the cave's entryway so he would not be seen as he listened. It began.

_Oh, when the day is blue_

_I'll sit here, wondering about you._

'Finally,' Ralph thought to himself, steadying his body against the wall, 'what do you need to tell me, Jack?'

_And how the pollen fell_

_All around your face in strange yellow patterns._

_But, I wasn't prepared for this._

_ Oh, I wasn't prepared for this._

The word "pollen" made his breath come out in a sharp gasp. His eyes widened as visions of Jack, so desperate, came to him.

_When the morning came_

_ The bees flew down and _

_Wrapped themselves around me._

He loathed the fact that Jack loved him...

_And that's when I spoke the word_

_To have them trace your face for me in pollen._

Another shuddered breath.

_But, I wasn't prepared for this._

_Oh, I wasn't prepared for this._

...and secretly savored it.

_Come, come back to me, my, my darling.  
_

_Come, come back to me, my, my darling._

He shuddered and hated his thoughts.

_I wasn't prepared for this. _

_Oh, no, I wasn't prepared for this._

Ralph realized that they made as little sense as Jack did.

_When the day is blue._

_I'll sit here, wondering about you._

OOOO!!!!! GO LISTEN TO THE SONG NOW GUYS!!! It's really good, trust me :3 I hope this wasn't too corny/cliche/etc T.T feel free to tell me if it is!! XD Next chapter coming up soon, if I can get enough time between my other schoolwork and dreaded research papers x.x


	10. Chapter 10

YAY QUICK UPDATES!!!! X3 I'm so glad I got this one finished, boy if I hadn't I don't know when I could've T.T. The research paper's not eating away at my life yet though guys, so more'll be done in a pretty timely manner...hopefully XD Hope you guys like this one!!

Oh...side note...the song might strike some of you as strange (or at least I think), but I assure you that it's the most fitting song for this fic X3 Also, I didn't wanna chose a lame one that's like, "Ooo love me! Yay I love you yayyy!" Know what I mean? XD I think this one's artistic, and very beautiful :3. Hopefully you guys like it too!

** Disclaimer**: If I owned LOTF, Roger would have said, "I'm the master of disaster!" Courtesy of another one of my friends X3. We so crazy.

Chapter 10

The sweet warmth of the morning swept a refreshing gust of wind across the exterior of Castle Rock. It seeped into the cave and scattered bits of ash and stray leaves that scurried towards Jack's hand and tickled it annoyingly, and in response he moved his hand away. As more brushed against his sleeping face he turned away in an attempt to remain asleep. His efforts were fruitless, and as Jack turned to his stomach he cracked open his tired eyes. The world around him started to come into focus, and he saw Ralph sleeping soundly on the opposite end of the cave. His heart skipped a beat.

Jack could not tear his eyes away form the sleeping boy, who greatly resembled a divine cherub without wings. Any moment, he thought, and they would sprout from his back, fanning in pure white. "He really knows," Jack whispered to himself, absently stretching his arm towards Ralph, who continued to sleep. He studied the rhythmic, slow pattern in which his chest rose and fell, rising and falling, like the tide sweeping the beach.

The beach; that was where his tribe probably lay sleeping as well. He had completely forgotten about his chieftainship due to the chaotic night before, the mixed emotions, the confession. Nothing but Ralph meant anything to him that night; he realized he would have gladly, genuinely died for him. He placed his hand gingerly underneath his chest to feel the bandage Ralph had treated the wound with. 'Why did Roger...?'Jack thought, sitting up. His head span dizzily and black specs interrupted his field of vision, which were brought on by the painful rush of blood to his head. Or was it the absence of blood? He could not decide which.

Jack reached for his spear that lie next to the mound of leaves and examined the tip of it blankly. It was still sharp after he had chipped away at it the day before; or perhaps it was the day before that. He could not decide between these two either. "When had I?" Jack asked himself, raising an eyebrow and looking towards the ceiling in search of the answer. He had no grasp of time after what seemed like the longest night he had ever endured, and could not even remember where he had done it. After a moment he slapped the side of his head in response to the reality sinking in. "Of course," he said softly, "on the beach. Roger was next to-" Jack silence himself. 'Roger.'

Rising up from his leaf bed, Jack started for the cave's exit. He desperately wanted to speak to Roger, to finally get an explanation to the powerful question that ran through his mind since the incident: why. Before he rounded the corner, he peered into the cave at Ralph's sleeping form. Warmth and intense satisfaction washed over him in that one glance, proving to be far more effective in warming his body than the sun that shone about a fourth of the way over the blue horizon. At this point, its rays bathed the rock directly above the cave, leaving the inside cool and fairly dark. Jack looked up and finally realized how late it had gotten. In normal circumstances, he would have been awakened by the rising sun, but due to the night before he became sleep deprived. Jack shook off memories of midnight, and began to make his way down the mountain's rocky slope.

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The cold water stung his face, but helped him get the jumpstart he needed for the day, and for what may come with it. They thought of seeing Roger again make Jack shiver with anxiety, and he began hastily applying red, black and white war-paint to his tanned face. This was perhaps the first time he rushed through this part of his routine, the first time he eager to cause ripples to shiver in the water so he would not have to look at his shame-stricken face. Just a bit of his pride remained, and he was not ready to part with it yet; he needed it when he approached Roger.

After he decided the job he did would suffice, he threw the empty fruit in a space between two thick trees. Interestedly, he studied where he had thrown it, becoming both exciting and curious. Jack grabbed his spear and walked carefully towards the opening. He pushed away an obscure leaf that fanned over the entryway and made his way through, avoiding the remains of the fruit he had thrown.

The space was more beautiful, more exotic, than he had expected. Palm trees and bushes, fragrant with the scent of lilies and other tropical flowers, grew thickly and disorderly along the edge of the fairly circular, small clearing. These fragrances mingled delightedly with the sweet smell of a large honeysuckle thicket that grew in wild tangles beside him. Long, sun-stained grass rippled in waves across the area as the wind blew gently. The sun shone in splendor over the land, making it stunningly bright. Awed, Jack took a step forward, and suddenly an explosion of blue butterflies fluttered into the air. For a moment they hovered lightly, then they each settled on shrubbery, grass and covered most of the flowers. He stood, painfully still, entranced by the scene before him. Unbeknownst to him a butterfly floated daintily about his shoulder, bouncing up and down easily. It noticed that Jack had begun to walk forwards and immediately blundered away into his field of vision, startling him. When he realized it was only a butterfly he sighed, plopping down on the ground in front of a bundle of white and pink flowers that spread widely over one another. Curiously, he cupped one in one of his tanned hands, and admired how the two shades clashed fiercely. He smiled, comparing its loveliness and how it differed so greatly from him to Ralph.

Jack suddenly realized how his behavior compared to that of a female and recoiled disgustedly. His mindset, in that respect, was still very much like a young boy, immature and unwilling to compare himself to a female in any way at all. The time that everyone had spent on the island certainly did not change some of their usual tendencies society exposed them to, but in some ways it did dramatically. Jack's love for Ralph, for instance, never left his mind once he had finally accepted its existence; not a single moment went by in which he did not think of him. "So this is what love...this is what it does to you." He snickered at the remark he had unknowingly said out loud, and silently accepted this fact. The flower dangled awkwardly from where nature had originally placed it to where Jack had moved it. He leaned back on two arms, locked at the elbow, and he crossed his ankles comfortably. Looking up at the sky, he noticed a group of seagulls hover gently upward in a small gust, then dive downward towards the jungle. Jack decided it would do him no harm to stay in this secluded paradise for a few more minutes; Roger could wait. He lowered himself into the grass, rested his head on his arms which folded behind his neck, and closed his eyes.

A rustling in the deep jungle awoke Jack from his nap, and he sat up with a start. He looked towards the small opening that led into the woods and heard nothing more. His rested, blue eyes gazed up towards the sun, and he decided he had only fallen asleep for about thirty minutes. Jack took up his spear and stood, gathering his wits and making his way towards the exit of the clearing. Letting his eyes adjust to the jungle's shadows, he made his way over roots and creepers towards the source of the sound. There, sitting on a fallen tree trunk with spear handy, Roger sat stabbing at a small plant that grew out of the ground in isolation. Jack stood, frozen.

'There he is...'Jack thought to himself, straightening himself up. The boy had probably been poking and jabbing away at the plant for a long while, because it became mangled and shredded. 'He must have made that sometime today, or perhaps last night.' Jack thought to himself, studying the spear and remembering the one that had could have killed Ralph had it not been for him. He took in a breath, awaiting the worst, and walked over to where Roger sat. He had not realized Jack was there until he sat with a thud next to him. He did not wait for words, and threw the makeshift spear to the side. He cried, "J-Jack! How, you...you-" "No," Jack began, refusing to make eye contact, "Roger, Roger...what in God's name were you thinking?" Roger, taken aback, looked towards the ground. "Jack, he...it's difficult to explain-" Ignoring the rare distress in Roger's voice, he stood up in a rush and slammed the pointed end of his spear into the ground, causing a burning sensation to envelop his hand at the friction. "Don't give me any of that bollucks!" Jack shouted. "What were you thinking?! I told you to stay away from the damned cave if any of your - times came on!" He breathed harshly, staring daggers into the back of Roger's head, which had bowed from shame and hurt. Humiliated, he lifted his face and glared at the red head. "Well you didn't have to go and stand in front of the bloody idiot! What were you thinking?!" There was a long, strenuous pause between them, obviously due to the formulation of hateful words. No scurrying of animals nor chirping of birds interrupted this momentary lapse of speech.

After a while Jack began, not a bit calmer. "You had no right coming into the cave, Roger. You're not an exception to the rule I made; you beat 'im worse than-" Roger stood up and braced Jack's thin shoulders harshly, shaking him. "We planned that, you fool! We've been planning it! What's wrong with you?! What have you become?!" They breathed heavily and bore into each other's eyes, fighting for dominance. "Why've you changed, Jack?" Roger asked hatefully. Jack tugged forcefully away from the boy and punched him in the jaw with great strength. The dark boy stumbled backwards, rubbing his jaw, and suddenly lunged for Jack. They both toppled to the ground in a heap and began beating on one another, summoning all of the anger and resentment that had built up due to the events that had come to pass and let it explode into an adrenaline frenzy. Roger pinned Jack to the ground painfully, and grunting Jack pushed him off and assumed a similar position over him. He began beating on him once again, striking and punching anything and everything that came into view. Roger grabbed at Jack's hair and threw him to the ground to make him stop, and gave him a proper swing to the stomach. Jack cried out at the horrible pain inflicted on his wound, which caused it to bleed once again. The cry turned into a battle cry, and catching his breath after the fierce attack Jack lunged for him again. Roger managed to hold his arms and control his feverish movement long enough to say, "At least the animal inside you hasn't disappeared, or am I wrong, Jack Merridew?!" Each word dripped with toxic hurtfulness, and this was enough for him to handle at once. Jack turned him over and began repeatedly landing punches onto Roger's face, causing it to bleed profusely. Roger shimmied and tore away from underneath Jack's bloody, bruised body. The boy nearly lunged for him before he said, "Al-alright, just hold on a minute." Jack growled, "What right do you have to say that to me?!" He got up angrily and stormed to where Roger had gotten up. He took his jet black hair in his hands and pressed him harshly against a tree, letting his folded arms serve as more weight that could be used to hold him against the bark. He squeezed his hands, letting the black hair curl between his tightened fingers. Roger barely flinched.

"W-what do you think you'll gain from this, huh Jack? Fighting with me? I think you're wasting your time." "What are you talking about," Jack said, pressing harder and making clear eye contact with the other, "there's no other way to control you." Roger asked, masking the little pain he felt, "Why are you doing this? Is it because of the prey?" Jack breathed harshly, not saying anything. Roger smirked. "What? Are you siding with him all of a sudden? That can't be, Jack. A chief should not befriend an enemy of his tribe." Silence. Jack loosened his grip slightly. "Am I wrong? Nowadays it seems like I don't even know-" He did not let him continue, and punched him square in the mouth.

Roger fell to the ground, rubbing his jaw that had been damaged further. He stared at the blood on his hands, then at Jack. "What is he to you, Jack?! Why are you doing this?!" Jack breathed heavily, ignoring his mangled bandage and his pulsating wound. He had no answer. Roger gritted his teeth madly. "You risked you life for - it! Do you realize that?! To save the life of something that caused you so much pain! In the woods-" He stopped, gasping. Roger could not believe he had said the words that came out of his mouth, and his lip began to tremble. Jack whispered, tensed, "What're you talking about?" Roger let his eyes trail to the ground, all of his nonsensical sarcasm fading away. "J-Jack," he began, once again becoming tender, "I saw you that night - in the woods. You mentioned him - you mentioned him, didn't you?" Jack's bright eyes widened, and he drew in a shaky breath. He said, "In the woods...you saw me there. What - was I doing there?" "I haven't a clue," Roger said madly, "you were mad. Batty's more like it. I - I heard you mention his name." The pieces were finally coming together in Jack's mind. "S-So I...I'm you second in command. I will always be loyal to you. I shan't allow someone - something like him - to cause you to abandon your pride as the chief." Jack, breathing shallowly, fell to his knees and became level with Roger.

'P-Pride...' Jack thought to himself, feeling his heart beat in his ears. He could not tell Roger what he felt for him. Could he? "Why did you run in front of him, Jack?" Roger asked, keeping his voice steady. Jack held his newly bloodied chest. Silence. Roger repeated his previously-asked question. "What is he to you?" Wind blew softly and caused his red hair, lightened by the hot sun, to tousle and shiver. Jack met Roger's gaze, which was no longer cold with grayness and unfeeling, but almost warm and inquisitive. Jack whispered, "I've never felt this way in my entire life about anybody. Why, I-I can't answer why. How, I cannot even begin to explain." Tears appeared at the corners of his eyes, but he paid them no mind. Roger's face twisted with misunderstanding. "What? Do you want him to join the tribe? Do you realize what that would mean?" Jack looked down, letting his hair fall slightly in curly tangles over his forehead. "N-No," he whispered, under his breath, "I..." "What?" Roger asked, "You want him to be your servant?" "I - want him for myself,' he said, as quietly as he could. Round teardrops fell in quiet plops onto the warm earth, creating wet circles in the dirt. 'But he'll never be, will he?'

Jack stayed silent, turning his head in the other direction, towards the paradise he had found earlier. He longed to return there, to be among the grasses and trees and flowers, to admire the butterflies, to doze in the warm sun. He longed to lie there, with Ralph sleeping peacefully in his safe embrace, to plant light kisses on his forehead and whisper a sweet melody to him. 'But that'll never happen, will it?'

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The foaming sea water coated the giant, gray boulders below the fall, receding to leave a shimmering, sparkling glaze of wetness. It would begin again; the milky water would swallow the massive rock, then slide away effortlessly. Ralph admired this action as he sat on the edge of the short cliff, lightly bracing his damaged ankle. He breathed in the refreshing, salt air that swept in massive gusts over the ocean towards him, and enjoyed how it played with the tangles of his golden hair. All felt calm and good, and the sun seemed to wash away the confusion and turmoil from the night before similarly to the ocean sweeping away stray bits of seaweed over the boulders. However, even in this seemingly blissful morning, something ate away at him. His fingers lightly hovered towards his lips for what seemed like the umpteenth time, and he tore them away as he usually did. Ralph had not grown used to this tug of war he played with himself, and could not overcome the secret, repulsive, wonderful thoughts he had.

Absently, Ralph began to sing a portion of Jack's song to himself, as he had been doing on and off throughout the morning.

_I wasn't prepared for this.  
Oh, no, I wasn't prepared for this._

YAY!!! Ooo..what internal struggles is Ralph going through, you ask? Hmm...XD Next chapter coming ASAP!

A/N: Ok...I just re-read this, and it really seems awful to me. For that, I apologize; I wrote this puppy at like 9:30 at night (yeah, late huh? XD). I don't want to make any serious changes to it though, just because it's already gotten so many hits, and I don't want you guys to have to re-read it T.T Just a wee little comment on my part, ch. 11 will be much much MUCH better than this XD


	11. Chapter 11

Ok...let me just say I wouldn't wish writer's block on my worst enemy T.T. I apologize for not posting for quite a while guys; fan fiction-wise my brain had just shut off x.x BUT I FLIPPED THAT SWITCH ON IN A HURRY!! XDXD I think this chapter's far better than the other one, and MUCH longer, that's for sure X3. Thank all of you once again for being so supportive of me and Fruition!!! It really means the world to me huggles XD.

**Disclaimer**: If I owned LOTF, Roger would have asked Jack, "Hey, when can we 'kill Bill'?" XDXD Me and my friends pull a lot of funnies :3.

Chapter 11

Hot, sticky air hung humidly about the two boys, and proved useful in feeding their tormenting frustration. A few birds sat lightly atop a tree branch, fluffing their feathers and moving their heads frantically to and fro as if they were looking for something that could harm them. Sensing the negativity in the air, the two birds jumped and took off madly in opposite directions, chirping to one another whilst avoiding other tall trees. Sunlight spilled into the clearing where Jack and Roger sat tensely, and hungrily ate up the shadows created by the foliage.

Jack found that making eye contact with the other was impossible, and simply waited for him to respond to his statement. Roger busied himself with wiping away the blood that dripped from his nose and mouth darkly, cursing under his breath. Had he even heard him? "My God, Jack," he said, wiping excess blood distastefully onto his straggly shorts, "you really banged me up badly." He meant for the comment to be good humored, but as Jack became aware of the vast amount of blood that trickled from the wound on his chest, he said sharply, "Look at me, Roger! You tore me open again." "That isn't my fault." Roger started, leaning forward, "What were you planning to do with the prey, anyhow? Just - keep him there?" Jack retied the bandage around his bloodied chest. "You never answered my question before." Roger said, lowering his voice. Ashamedly, Jack wiped away a few tear drops from his face that had sat suspended. "W-Whatever I want," he said, regaining some dignity, "I'm chief. It's no one else's concern unless I say it is." Roger got up with a start, clearing away some of the dirt on his shorts. He would never admit it, but the comment hurt him deeply, within the otherwise empty recesses of his heart.

He spoke quietly, darkly, "He's just made you act so differently, Jack. It's as if whenever that fool comes up into conversation, anytime you see him, something..." He searched for words to convey Jack's bizarre, impulsive behavior, but fell silent. A rustling came from the bushes, catching Jack's attention as he sat motionless on the ground. Roger did not seem to notice, but watched the other boy's eye curiously. He finally turned his head, losing interest. He stood up to meet the other's eyes which seemed to burn with a sort of cold intensity, taking up his spear. A familiar desire rose into his stomach, burning the sick, awkward air between them that built up after the fight. This desire was accompanied by another: making everything as normal as possible between himself and Roger after their fight. It had just begun to take a toll on his conscience, and he did not want to have to look Roger in the face, now that it was so cold and even frightening. He had never looked at him in such a way before the incident, and it unnerved him greatly.

"I-I think I'll go for a hunt. Care to join in?" Roger's eyes widened after he realized that the feeling that use to flutter inside of himself whenever he heard "hunt" withered and shrank away. His heart beat a bit faster. 'Can I really decline? Well...perhaps if I do it now...' He decided in the quiescence of the moment that the pig would serve as a Ralph for him to chase and kill, and suddenly felt himself become very eager.

Hunting the one he felt such animosity towards with the one he cared about so dearly - it seemed wonderful to Roger, not to mention the fact that it would mask the obsession with Ralph that was written so clearly now on Jack's face. Roger wanted to punish himself for not realizing sooner. What could he do about it?

"That'd be nice, I'm in the mood for some pig now anyway."

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The familiarity of the world around him dulled Ralph's mind to a point where reality felt surreal. To him, it felt that there was nothing beyond this quiet but chaotic, rocky cave, out-skirting the powerful, vast, awesome ocean that breathed as if a leviathan would burst from its seams. The loud rush and tug of the spraying waters masked the reality that a tropical island existed, where the fruit that appeared everyday in his dismal home grew next to countless flowers and trees, and where the welcoming bathing pool covered a portion of the beach and sparkled resplendently in the sunlight. He remembered the blue-green water, warmer than blood, as he splashed in it and swam beneath its sandy depths. It was where Maurice - that was his name, that boy - inexpertly and continuously dove into it, where that fat boy with the assmar wiped his glasses with the tail end of his shirt and smiled his eternal smile, where the saintly boy dipped his feet easily into the side of it, moving them about aimlessly and smiling sweetly as well. He felt a gust of wind caress his dampened face, and when Ralph became aware of how cool his cheeks were he touched them, only to find a stream of tears. He wiped them away with his arm, shuddering a bit, and looked back down to where the ocean swallowed the rocks below. No other tears fell.

'I've got to get out of here, just for a bit, at least.' Ralph thought to himself, sitting restlessly on the edge of the rock. 'I'll go to where no one will find me. If I run into Roger again...' He felt a cold sweat form, and he wondered when he had regained the desire to truly live again. Perhaps it was after the ordeal the night before, because the truth had finally come out of Jack, because now he finally knew he was loved by someone he thought was incapable of such tenderness. 'I can't let Jack find me either, can I?' Ralph thought to himself. He felt his heart beat with more force, and a blush flooded his face. The scene of Jack hastening towards him interrupted his thoughts. The boy moved closer and closer, until...

Ralph slapped the side of his head in repulsion. "Jack Merridew, you bloody..." Ralph began aloud, but he silenced himself for fear someone would be watching him. The paranoia began to eat him up, and suddenly he did not feel alone. The sea continued to breath below him. He groaned, and getting his footing he thought to himself, 'I've really got to get out of here. For a little while. Just to get my bearings.' Ralph straightened his body upward to the best of his ability, and found that the brace had really provided a source of healing for his ankle, which only hurt if force was applied to it. He limped over towards the outer portion of the cave, leaning carefully on its jagged surface. His golden eyes traveled towards the downward slope of the mountain, and he saw a shock of green and brown below. Excitement bore into his stomach, and he grinned happily. 'I can do it; just got to use the side of the mountain.' Ralph thought to himself, and he began to slowly pick his way down the slope.

He found that it was not nearly as painful as he thought it would be; after days and nights of healing his ankle was bearably usable. The task of climbing down became less difficult, and found that he could go at a fairly decent pace. Suddenly the reality of the situation hit him, and he froze on the mountain side. Freedom was in sight; it was not unbelievable, inexistent; it was solid and very real. He could hide away somewhere in the woods, he fantasized, continuously relocating himself so he would not be found. However, the prospect, seemed less appealing to him as he had wished. He could not picture in his mind life without the cave, without the island, without their impartial but secure society. Ralph certainly did not like this new style of thinking, but chose to accept it and not make it into something more he would have to carry on his shoulders. He wanted so desperately to avoid that at all costs, and chose to. 'From this point on', he decided, 'I will simply live.'

Ralph's new outlook satisfied him, and he drove onward until he plopped onto the bright beach. He suddenly became very frightened, fearful of a savage bursting through the jungle onto the sand, only to find him and hunt him down like a helpless pig. Now that he had been set free of the prison he called home, he certainly had no desire to relive the horrific experience of many days ago. Memories of it clouded his mind, and he shivered slightly, edging towards the tip of the jungle. 'If I'm found...' Ralph discovered that he had greater fear of being trapped inside of the cave than being trapped in the center of a circle of savages, whose circumference would surely close in on him until he lost his precious breath. He limped carefully into the thick wilderness, startled by the sound of a loud bird. His eyes scanned the canopy of the trees, and he saw a brightly colored parrot sitting idly on a tree branch. Its wings spread like that of a hawk and beat ferociously, sending it soaring off of the tree over his head. Ralph followed it with awe-stricken eyes, watching it soar through the branches and out into the blue, infinite sky. He smiled delightedly, then turned around and picked his way through the creepers and thick bushes with tremendous care. He silently reminded himself that sight like this were ones Jack could enjoy everyday, and he felt a great admiration towards him.

Without warning a terrible crashing sound echoed throughout the jungle, and Ralph immediately dropped down behind an obscure bush, grabbing hold of his ankle and recovering from the peaceful feeling he attained from the otherwise tranquil forest. His fearful eyes peeked in between a few branches that were set apart just enough for him to see the side of a large hill. In his field of vision appeared two figures, silently dashing towards something below them. Familiar squealing erupted into the air, crying and shrieking absurdly, and Ralph's honeyed eyes widened frightfully. It was a pig, and it's screech heightened until one climactic moment later. All became silent.

Breathing quickly, Ralph peered into the bushes and saw no one other than Roger continuously stabbing at the pig, even after its life had been ripped away from it. Ralph remembered the hunt he had taken part in and felt that this hunt was disturbingly different than it. Suddenly the other figure appeared in the opening of the bush, grinning ecstatically at the other. It was Jack, and he motioned for Roger to join him on the ground. A horrible feeling washed over Ralph, and he felt his mouth sit slightly agape. This feeling was not fear, nor was it apprehension. It was disappointment, sadness, something difficult to define.

"J-Jack..." Ralph whispered, feeling his face twist in depression. Why had the person who saved his life enjoy such savage behavior with the one whom he defended him from? This feeling was replaced by one Ralph could not believe he was capable of feeling towards someone like Jack. He was not angered by this behavior; it made him jealous. Sickly, utterly, cripplingly jealous.

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The air beat wildly, silently about them, and the ecstasy that came with the thrill of the hunt began to simmer delightfully within them. Jack, panting madly and clutching his chest absently, inspected the corpse of a pig. It was startlingly large in size, and proved to be formidable prey. But they had overrun it, attained power over it, sucked away its life in one swift motion, and they were exhausted and completely satisfied. Roger sank happily towards the ground, gazing up at the sky and breathing harshly in an attempt to regain oxygen. Jack began to retie his bandage which had been damaged further, wincing at the pain that he had not felt in the heat of the bloodshed. He said between gasps, "That was wizard! It feels like so long since we've hunted like that." "And with no one else to aid us," Roger said, meeting Jack's gaze with his own, "I feel like this is the biggest one we've gotten." They gazed at each other, completely happy underneath the hot sky.

Jack leaned forward to capture Roger's attention once again, which had refocused onto the dead pig. "I've got a plan. Why don't you bring it back to the rest of the tribe and start up a feast? Tell them to gather lots of wood for the fire, and get some fruit and water, perhaps." Roger grinned happily, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. "I think that's a first class idea. What'll you do?" The pure happiness that erupted between the two of them became slightly scathed, in Jack's opinion, at the question. He turned his attention towards the pig, busying himself with removing its innards as he usually did. "There's good firewood up on Castle Rock; I'll go get that and bring it down there. I trust you with the tribe, and I shouldn't be doing much heavy-lifting anyhow, because of - you know -." He motioned towards his chest, unwilling to bring the subject back up. Roger looked at him. "What? Has the hunt taken a toll on you?" At first, Jack mistook this question for sarcasm, but looked up to meet his eyes, which radiated rare concern. The air became awkward once again, and he was eager to exterminate it. "N-No, I wouldnt've done it if that was the case. I'm fine; I'll just go get that wood." With that, he finished his job, and stood up with his spear. "Get a move on. I have a feeling this feast will be a grand one." Roger scooped the pig into his arms and flung it over his shoulder, holding it carefully with one arm. "Sure thing, see you then."

Jack turned and began making his way down the last bit of the hill, avoiding some fallen palm trees, misshapen plants and several logs. He smiled to himself contentedly, 'This'll get my mind off of all the rubbish that's been going on. And I'll get to see him before I go.' This delighted him further, and his smile widened. As he made his way across the last stretch of woodland that clashed with the sandy beach, he thought he saw a figure turn around a bend through some trees. Feeling his smile begin to fade, he quickened his pace towards where the figure moved to, curving in between trees and bushes easily.

Finally he emerged onto the beach, seeing nothing all around but the edge of the jungle and a few stray seagulls pecking at something a few meters away. He turned towards the edge of the mountainside and spied a tiny form making it's way up the side of the mountain. It moved rather peculiarly, erratically, almost as if it was limping. Jack did not wait to study it further, and began sprinting hastily towards the slope. He knew who it was.

Coming face to face with a large boulder, Jack stumbled by it over a few smaller rocks, and began climbing expertly up the side. The figure came closer and could be seen with greater clarity, and his heart dropped as his fears were confirmed. It was Ralph, and he seemed to have heard Jack coming up behind him. 'Ralph...what are you doing?' he thought with great concern. Ralph gazed at him fearfully, lowering himself to the ground in anxiety. Out of breath, Jack cried to him, "What're you doing, idiot?! What made you think you could climb up these rocks? Stay still...I'm coming." Ralph looked at him in shock, then shook it off and said quietly, "Wh-what...I'm fine. I just-" Sensing the idiosyncrasy of the situation, he blushed madly and waited for Jack to come to him. Finally he arrived, and breathing heavily he said, "Ralph, you're a fool! Your ankle is damaged! Do you ever want to walk normally again?" Ralph's slowly lifted his eyes towards Jack, and his glassy eyes radiated desperation and fear. This accompanied by the short space between them caused Jack's stomach to twist and turn with sadness, longing and immense empathy.

With great difficulty, Jack resisted the urge to pull him into a compassionate embrace. He stood up, ripping away from Ralph's eyes, and moved towards him. He squatted down in front of him and said, "Get on my back; I'm not letting you climb up here." Ralph looked at the red head with eyes filled with disbelief, but complied. He gently put his hands onto his strong shoulders, and nearly pulling away he whispered, "I don't think this is a good idea. I..." Jack was shocked at how he was behaving. Not resisting, not starting an argument, not remaining headstrong; he seemed torn. He masked his concern. "Ralph, just do it. I'm not going to hurt you, my God." He felt Ralph's soft hands hover over his shoulders, and gently moved his legs next to his waist. When he finally took better hold of him, arms wrapped securely around his neck, Jack hoisted him up and began the trek up the mountain.

The feast ended up at the end of Jack's list of things to worry about rather quickly.

OMG SO LONG!!! XDXD Longest one, I believe.

Sorry this ending was a bit lacking, but it'll make sense next chapter, I promise you all!!

Also, so far you guys might be thinking this story is nothing but senseless drabble, but I assure you the climactic point's coming up soon. Unfortunately though I'm not planning much more chapters, so the story might be coming to a steadyfast end T.T. Of course, I don't know this entirely yet, but it probably won't exceed 20 chapters. That's a bit much XD. But, of course, if that's what it takes for me to tell this story, than so be it :D.

THANK YOU ALL FOR READING!!! Next chapter up as soon as I can!! T.T


	12. Chapter 12

YAY I FINALLY POSTED

YAY I FINALLY POSTED!! Sorry I haven't for TOO TOO long guys…I really don't wannat talk about it T.T

FINALLY…WE REACH THE CLIMAX OF THE STORY!! WOOT!! To all of you who have put up with this drably fic for so long and being so supportive and patient, thank you immensely!! I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter, it took me a long long while to get done, but it's finallyl here!!

**Disclaimer**: If I owned LOTF, I would be selling huge cardboard cut outs of Tom Chapin for 14.99…AND I WOULD PURCHASE 3,000 OF THEM. XD

On with the show!!

Chapter 12

As the sun rose relentlessly into the deep sky, the torturous heat intensified. However, the refreshing yet startlingly tall waves that crashed and exploded on the side of the mountain provided a cool spray to relish in. For Jack and Ralph alike, no matter how rejuvenating the ocean spray was on their skin, it could not put out the fire that rumbled and swayed in their hearts.

Ralph had finally come to an epiphany as the tedious trek up the mountainside continued. ' 'I shall simply live,' alright…' he thought in anguish, 'What rubbish.' He only thought such a thing to mask the lack of a true conclusion as to why he was felling the way he felt. The reason, the simple clarity and understanding, the order and equanimity of life had vanished from his mind entirely when he was with Jack. Whenever he thought of Jack, in fact, it seemed as if everything he strove to achieve on the island vanished. 'it had never been this way before,' Ralph thought, squeezing his eyes shut so he would not have to sink into the harsh realness about him. The reality was that he was being carried up the mountainside after he had foolishly decided to climb down, by Jack no less. In his mind, however, he felt dangerously, wonderfully close to the boy, and it was not so much physically. It seemed as if Jack's emotions, his thoughts, his being, radiated from his back and sank deep into Ralph's heart, forcing the blood to pump faster. The way in which he carried him seemed tender but responsible, and he could sense his abundant strength in the in which he strode that seemed as if it came more from within than out in the open.

Butterflies hovered and bumbled hurriedly in Ralph's stomach, but it made him feel a warmth that he had never felt before. 'Almost like…' A friend perhaps? Family? He reached into the recesses of his mind for the feeling he got while being around his loved ones, but felt that the good, comfortable feeling he felt from them was far different than he felt now. It was a sort of strange, spasmodic sensation that made him want to shiver but smile. It made him want to run a mile, but hide away and fall into himself. It made him want to jump and sing, but sink away so no one could finds him. Ralph felt an immense desire to afford this feeling some sort of name or definition.

Was this what a kiss did to a human being?

Without much thought, Ralph leaned his head on the back of Jack's shoulder, feeling the warmth cradle his body and afford him comfort. The way In which Jack's red hair brushed lightly against his own provided him additional relief, so much so that he hadn't realized the short gasp the other boy made at the contact.

Jack nearly stopped in his tracks in absolute fear and surprise at Ralph's behavior. He realized that the cave's entrance was very close, and did not want to stop there. He continued forward, hastening slightly so that he had a chance of obliterating the rouge that adorned his face. He felt Ralph lift his head, but remained silent as the blurry contents of the cave came into view. Quietly, Jack said, "I'll put you down over there; sit so you won't hurt yourself, understand?" He could not feel Ralph nod, but figured he would do as asked. Jack crouched down in front of the nearest bed of leaves, waiting patiently for Ralph to configure himself so that he would not be harmed. Jack suddenly felt cold on he hot air after the boy completely separated himself from him, and he secretly wished that he had stayed.

Leaning against the wall, Ralph took in a deep breath. He had just realized what he had done, and mentally cursed himself for not understanding what it could have implied sooner. He avoided eye contact with the red head who set his spear down on the opposite side of the cave. Hope and level-headedness had completely died out within him when he realized what a senseless fool he had made himself look like, and the strange feeling that he had come to know so well creepy up quietly in his chest.

Jack turned around and strode back to where he had dropped off Ralph, quite eager for an explanation so he could not only see what the boy had really been up to, but so he could also focus his mind on something other than their contact moments ago.

When he reached the boy, Jack bent down slowly so that he could look him directly in the face. He began softly. "Why on Earth were you climbing up the mountain? What could have been so important to make you want to-" He stopped, noticing the way Ralph flinched away, as if he were a child being scolded by a flustered adult. Jack, shaking his head hopelessly, plopped down in front of him and let his head rest on his hand, elbow supported by one knee. "You do realize that if Roger found you he wouldnt've thought twice about...about…" Jack found that he could not formulate the rest of his sentence. Ralph's face lowered towards the ground and the side of his hands hurriedly rubbed his eyes, causing Jack alarm. Ralph said quietly, as if he were confessing murder, "W-What've you done to me?" Only silence. What had overcome the strong person before him?

A sudden gust of wind howled outside of the cave, causing bits of bleached grass that grew thought cracks in the rock to twitch. Jack's eyes widened. "W-What've you done to me, Jack?" Ralph repeated, meeting the boy's gaze with a look of inner enslavement and destructive emotion. One single tear slid carefully down his cheek, but he would not wipe in away. He wanted the horrible, lovely clueless boy before him to understand a shred of his feeling. Jack sat numbly. "Why me; why'd you change your mind so suddenly like that? You were going to kill me, and…" The desire to ask the question overruled any other words. "Why'd you do that to me…why'd you k-kiss m-" Ralph stopped. Their eyes bore into each other, glistening honey clashing with ice which had recently frozen over in shock Jack's lips quivered, but nothing escaped. So the words had been spoken, but not a single drop of relief existed for Ralph to quench his thirsty soul with.

Emotion clouded Ralph's perception and dulled his thoughts like a blanket of haze. He could not make sense of the world around him – the way that he felt for the being before him, and the loss of precious self-control, reason…had it all been lost for Jack? 'I can't take this anymore, I can't! This is killing me!' Ralph thought, clenching his fists. Jack could no longer identify the blonde boy's behavior; it had become so erratic and senseless. 'Could he have…' Jack gasped out loud as he realized what was going on, and his eyes became glassy. They never tore away from the sweet golden ones he had fallen for so helplessly. He understood now. But did Ralph?

Ralph felt as if he was losing his mind, and was not nearly as shocked as most would have been by this. What was this feeling – the one that ate him up and make it seem as if he was no longer capable of coherent thought, but too contemplative for comfort an the same time? This feeling, the one that made him say, think, do, crazy things. Was he really so fed up with the "monotonous" scenery around him that day; did it only seem like the island did not exist because Jack was not there at that moment to complete the picture? He felt captive to this feeling now, held down in chains by it, controlled in every aspect by it. The cave, the ocean; the fact that he saw these things everyday really meant nothing; he realized. It was he who completed the picture.

The warm air only became hotter between the two, and Jack felt fed up with attempting to read Ralph's face for an answer. "Tell me, Ralph," Jack began, leaning closer to him as subtly as he could, "Why can't I figure out what's wrong? I – I mean…usually you're so easy to figure out, I suppose, so uncomplicated." Ralph stared at him, confused and mixed inside. "What I mean is," Jack said, playing with the edge of his frayed shorts idly, "is it alright if I help you…?" Ralph suddenly felt defensive. "Why d'you feel like being so kind all of a sudden, after everything you did to me, to Piggy-" He knew that he was in denial. Jack interrupted him, "How else can I possibly show you?! Was that day when I saved your life not enough?!" His breath started to quicken. "I – I don't know why I feel this way, nor do I know where I came from…it's just that you – you're just-" Jack stopped, never breaking away from Ralph's desperate gaze. He could not express his love for the boy in words.

All remained very still, aside for the gushing, powerful waves that swelled with the after noon sun and beat upon the cliff angrily. Jack breathed inwardly. "Ralph – I just don't know. I think I-" More tears crept from Ralph's eyes, never ceasing, causing him to suddenly convulse and snivel. Jack whispered quietly, "No - I know it now; I really do…I really – I love you, Ralph."

All of the pieces finally came together in Ralph's tousled mind. The way that Jack's song penetrated his being was one that connected him to that boy, and it ran through his mind and pierced his soul even at that very moment. The look on Jack's face as he closed the space between them; it had never left him since that fateful night. The sympathy he had felt towards Jack that never wavered, even hours before this moment. It had not been sympathy; the feeling that he hated so deeply and enjoyed so fully; it was love all along.

Ralph no longer felt an ounce of self-control. He began to cry openly, letting tears fall and sobbing outwardly. He lowered his head to the floor, wanting so desperately to fall through it so he could escape, just escape. Finally, finally, he understood. This could not be compared to anything he had seen between his dear parents, what movies he had seen where two lovers laughed and talked happily. Sweet nothings, they were; they simply could not compare to this. Jack felt like the other part of his inner being; he was beautiful, a shred of sunlight in that dreary world where nothing good seemed to exist any longer. He was there before him now, clutching Ralph's numbed hand and crying so purely as well; he was so close, he was everything, and he had bore his soul to him, now it was his turn.

For Jack Merridew, the once terrible, savage chief, who died away at this moment before his eyes, it would be worth it.

Jack found through his teary eyes that Ralph had gotten very still. He automatically assumed the worst. He bent his head down so that it pressed into his hand, which held Ralph's tensely. Shakily, he cried, "Ralph, I-I'm so sorry…I didn't want to feel so mortified. I just – you never leave my thoughts, Ralph; you're everything to me. Everything I do, everything…" Jack felt Ralph's hand begin to recede, and had the next scene already playing out in his head. The boy would back away astonished, and would say, "Jack! No! You got the wrong idea; I don't feel that way towards you!" Did he truly reciprocate his feelings?

Ralph continu4d to move his hand from Jack's as gently as he possibly could, and still slightly bent he wiped away a few tears in composure, only to find that they were quickly replaced. Lovingly, tenderly, Ralph cupped Jack's lowered head in his hands and slowly brought it up. When their eyes finally met again, he noticed how tear-stained Jack's face looked, and he caught a single sliding tear with his thumb. His war-paint, which had once made him so fierce and frightening, smudged slightly on his face that now appeared so shocked. He wanted to remember what it looked like exactly; he really, truly wanted to remember what Jack looked like when they landed on the island.

Jack breathed in short spurts, gazing at the beauteous person before him. Ralph whispered softly, ignoring his own tears, "Can you do something for me, Jack?" Slowly, he nodded his head, still held in Ralph's gentle hands. "Could you remove your…paint?" He would not hesitate one moment, not for him. Refusing to tear his eyes away from the blonde boy's, Jack nodded again and slowly back away from him. Numbly, he turned, got to his feet and strode carefully towards the few remaining coconut shells, still filled with crystal water. He got down on his knees, dipped one hand slowly into it and began wiping away the paint on his face, hastening as he worked. 'Anything for him,' Jack thought, feeling a few more tears painfully form, 'he'll be the first to see me.' Still, he did not hesitate. He cast aside an empty shell and reached for another one. 'I love you so much, Ralph; can you really see it?'

Jack finally finished, tossing aside the other shell he used and attempted to wipe his face dry from the water. He had no idea in the numbness of the situation that Ralph had crawled to meet him from the opposite side of the cave. Jack took in a shuddering breath and turned to meet Ralph face to face, but found it difficult and looked towards the ground. The sight shocked Ralph.

He was far more glorious than he had remembered.

Ralph lifted his fact with his hands once again to meet his eyes, and Jack finally looked at him. He suppressed a gasp as he looked the boy over. A few stray freckles dotted his cheeks and complimented his face, so gentle and sweet. Without the horrid war-paint, his lips looked rosy and suggested a shy softness about his exterior. Still, his eyes glowed, but not with such a cold, hateful flame as they once had. Now they were warm and deep, similarly to the clear sky outside. He looked like an angel who had traded his wings for tears.

Quietly, Ralph spoke, eager to act as a source of comfort, "I couldn't remember what you looked like underneath all of that paint, s-so…" This triggered more tears for Jack, and being so close to his infatuation did not help matters. He squeezed his eyes shut sorrowfully, and Ralph felt an urgent desire to hold him close. Unable to refuse Jack any longer, he slowly brought the red head's form close to him, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. Such tenderness and closeness from the one whom he desired such from the most stole Jack's breath, and pushing himself closer into Ralph's chest he embraced him, weeping. After a moment, shakily, Ralph said, "J-Jack…" Jack slowly lifted his face to meet Ralph's, and gently the blonde closed the distance between them.

They both knew in this moment, which seemed very unreal but very solid, that they belonged to each other. This feeling, love, was one that did not, could not, confuse Ralph now. Jack cared for him so deeply, so truly, and that was enough for him. He was no longer surprised by himself that he felt the same; he finally understood. Feeling more tears, Ralph finally realized he had reached his goal.

"I can't get this bloody fire to light, Robert!" Bill cried to the boy who sat next to him on the bright beach, who watched him work. The once bustling area, crowded with playing boys, now yawned emptily besides the remaining two. A gargantuan pile of wood had been assembled for the feast Roger had ordered them to prepare for, and Bill sat close to it wielding a flimsy twig. He spun furiously in an attempt to make a spark. "We need those specs! Where's Roger?" Robert looked around, curious himself as to where the dark boy had gone. Bill continued to spin, praying that a stream of smoke would emerge. "Oh that's right! He went to get the chief," Robert began thoughtfully, "and he said something about fetching him from Castle Rock. He might be a while." Bill stopped spinning and looked at Robert madly. "What're you doing, you almost got it!" "He's not allowed up there," Bill interrupted, "Oh…the chief'll get waxy for sure." Robert widened his eyes in understanding, and followed Bill's worried gaze towards the mountain.

All of a sudden a crashing sound permeated from the side of the jungle. Roger emerged, sweaty and flustered. Robert, ignorant to the deadly, explosive anger Roger felt, said, "Oh! I thought you were going to get the chief; is he here?" Roger suddenly looked at him, furtive and mad. A smile flashed eerily onto his face, and widened in a disturbing fashion. The air suddenly became thick and still. Bill began, "Wh…what?" Frighteningly, Roger began to giggle, and this morphed into a horrible fit of laughter and cackling. His gray eyes shot at them. "Ah! Who – him?! Funny that you mention him!" As he continued to laugh maniacally, Bill and Robert sat frozen to the sand, stunned and shivering in horror. "Obviously," Roger started, advancing on them, "he has greater priorities that he must attend to right now." The two boys could not break their eyes away from the deranged figure before them. Neither spoke. "Oh...I was going to get him. In fact, I climbed all the way up Castle Rock. That's a hard climb. I can't believe we actually did that for so long!"

A few boys appeared from the forest, but shrank back when they saw the situation erupting before them. Roger suppressed more laughter, and said "Prisoners aren't prisoners on this island while he's chief. But that's about to change." He could not keep the laughter down any longer, and let it flow freely from his mouth once again, holding his chest to keep them from exploding through his body. Bill and Robert looked at each other, horrified at what he could be suggesting. They refused to look at him as he cried, "Now where's the chief, you ask?! This feast…" The dark boy stopped, breathing quickly. He continued. "This feast is to celebrate the chief standing before you."

The Chief continued to snicker and giggle between harsh breaths, completely forgetting the loyalties and human emotions that recently consumed his life. The two boys, stunned, forgot how to breath.

All of these chapters get longer and longer XDXD. Yeah…sorry things happen really quickly, or is that just me? I'm not sure, I suppose if you read chapters before this one it's not so sudden X3. The point is I had to get Ralph to profess his love for Jack at some point, but I suppose I could have given you guys better warning. Oh well XD.

Yeah…it's drabbily, but so is this fanfic as I've explained, my bad X3. And because the fic is coming to it's resolution (yay English vocab!), I want to say thanks again for all of you who've read it and given me such wonderful reviews!! Critique me as much as you like though, really!! :3

Oh yeah! The "goal" that Ralph apparently met was mentioned in chapter 8, in case you didn't remember. Next chapter up A.S.A.P.!!


	13. Chapter 13

HOORAY NEW CHAPTER BYAY BYAY!! XDXD Boy do I love updates X3

I haven't been so inspired lately to write, not to mention my work space has proved to be VERY distracting, stupid brothers. T.T For that reason, this chapter might not be my best, but I beg you to give me criticism, and to put up with me as well XDXD

Ohh..btw..if any of you are particularly interested in watching LOTF vids on YouTube, I've got like 7 I've made lately. Feel free to check 'em out, because more likely than not that's what I'll be doing if I'm not writing XD

**Disclaimer**: If I owned LOTF, the mulberry birthmark boy would have been in the movie. I know they tried with the kid and the wooden airplane, but I would have given this kid a freaking birthmark and let him burn XD. Oh boy...I've been working too hard on making Roger sadistic X3.

Anyhow, ENJOY!!

Chapter 13

The delight of confession enveloped the early evening air, and as the tide slowly but surely receded, so did the glowing sun. However much light still existed in that world slowly crept away, allowing the oncoming darkness to swallow the Earth. The atmosphere that surrounded the cliff slowly darkened, and the dim shadow of the night began to rudely stretch across the vast rock.

Peacefully Jack sat, a small distance away from the cliff edge. He was close enough, however, to see the crashing waves and the line of infinity that connected the ocean and the sky. Ralph's head lay in his lap, and while Jack absently tousled and played with his blonde hair, he felt himself becoming sleepier at the touch. The red head spoke soothingly, as if the comfortable atmosphere would shatter, "I ought to show you this clearing I found, Ralph. It's really an amazing place, and I don't think anyone else knows about it. It looked untouched." A gentle breeze blew quietly over the cliff edge, making Ralph feel more content. He closed his heavy eyes, letting his head become heavy as well. Exhaling, he whispered, half interested, "Tell me about it." Jack studied the dark line that would later serve as the horizon, visualizing the flowers, the grass, the butterflies. "Well," he began, becoming quieter, "it's bright. Really bright. And there are more butterflies flying around there than I've ever seen in my life. It's like something out of a fairytale." Ralph chuckled at the comment, opening his eyes and studying the dim sky as Jack did. "Oh, and I suppose you enjoy fairytales then, huh?" Jack blushed. "Hey! N-no, it's nothing like that! I suppose-" His eyes trailed down towards the water as he searched inside himself for words, and he began to laugh lightly. "I suppose that's the only way to describe it. But it's not as if anything like that place could ever exist in something as simple as a story." He sighed, remembering the flower he held carefully in his hand.

"Perhaps if it were apart of some story it wouldn't be a fairytale. It's too real - too natural." Ralph felt Jack's hands stop moving, and realized they sat immobilized upon his head. He closed his eyes again, blushing. "Have you always been this thoughtful?" Another breeze brushed up against the mountainside, this time with greater intensity, and Jack looked up towards the sky. He remained silent for a moment, then began. "I-I don't know. Usually I don't think about this sort of thing, but that place was just so..." He lost his train of thought when he saw a peculiar looking bird fly overhead, and he watched as it plunged into the darkening waters. He began softly, resuming his play with Ralph's fair hair. "In any case, I'll show it to you, and you'll see what I mean. It's unexplainable." Ralph turned over so he could gaze up at Jack, sensing that his growing fatigue was beginning to diminish quickly. "You seem to really like the place. I'm interested myself now; something that could make you compare anything to a fairytale must be grand." Jack smiled, looking down at him. "See what I mean?" Ralph remained silent at the question and stared up at the sky, and noticed that he could see some hundreds of stars already in its vastness. He focused onto Jack again, smiling. His eyes looked bright. "Want to go now?"

Jack looked down at him, taken aback, and spoke with more strength and wonder. "B-but...it wouldn't be as bright...it wouldn't seem so fantastic to me." Ralph sat up with a start and gazed happily into Jack's worried eyes. "Well, I'm sure that - aside from the moon, of course - you'd light it up just fine." He blushed again at the comment he himself made, and seeing this made a warm feeling gush through Jack's stomach and lit up his eyes. A smile crept onto his face in delight and pure bliss. He reached for the other and pulled him into a warm embrace. Never had anyone displayed such devotion towards him in his life, and he felt like he was living a fantasy. He sighed, replying softly, "Ralph...you're so..." The tension that arose within him caused the words to come out in an unstoppable stream. "Do you realize how difficult it is for my to express my...love, Ralph? It's been bothering me for so long, and even now, after all that-" Ralph's arms came around him and pulled him closer. "I love you too, Jack. I really do." There they sat, content in knowing well the love they felt for one another. It had been what both had been dreaming of for such a extensive amount of time, and now that they had it it seemed unreal.

Jack kissed Ralph's forehead shyly and he whispered, "Would you really like to go? Now?" The blonde boy nodded his head eagerly, smiling, and they broke away from one another. The prospect of showing Ralph such a place only heightened at the sight of his beaming face, and Jack stood up hurriedly.

--

As the world around them continued to darken, Jack became thankful they set off on their expedition as soon as they had. He plopped down onto the beach, Ralph clinging to him carefully on his back, and he froze on the dimly lit beach. Suddenly he became serious, and this startled Ralph. "Are you okay? Is your wound bothering you?" "Don't make a sound while we're in the jungle." Jack began, brushing off the fact that he did, indeed, felt a small amount of discomfort. "I don't know if Roger may be lurking about. We must be extremely careful." "But," Ralph stuttered, "would they even question you? I mean...even Roger wouldn't do that. Right?" Abruptly Jack gasped, a jolt screaming through his body. A cold swear formed sullenly on his face, and a lump formed in his throat. He spoke quietly. "Oh God...I completely forgot." Ralph gazed worryingly at Jack's shoulders, waiting for him to continue and too scared to speak. "They're having a feast. Right now. They expect me to be there." Immediately possible excuses for his absence flooded Jack's terrified mind, and none of them seem logical. "Well, why don't you just go then?" Ralph replied, not with disappointment but with concern. "N-no..." Jack said with as much determination as he could muster. A plausible excuse suddenly popped into his head, and he graciously thanked any sort of celestial being who could have afforded him such a thing. He whispered, "If they ask, I'll say my wound really bothered me while I was coming up the mountain, and I felt too unpleasant to attend. It's fine; they'll understand." He smiled. "Now that I think about it, they probably won't ask. They're loyal to me, anyhow." He turned his head slightly as a hopeful gesture. "We'll be fine; they won't find us. Like I said, I'm the only one who's been there, at least I'm fairly certain. If we see someone we'll just return to the mountain." He stopped, allowing Ralph to absorb all that he had explained. After a minute, Jack whispered, "Alright. Sound like a plan?" Ralph smiled, leaning his head on Jack's shoulder in a very familiar fashion. "Sure."

The hike through the blackened wilderness was not so strenuous for Jack as Ralph had thought. It seemed as if Jack glided through the creepers and trees like they were not there, and he was greatly impressed by the ease in which he slipped through the darkness, never ceasing, towards their destination. Ralph, warmed by Jack's body, once again became sleepy, and closed his eyes in comfort. Abruptly, Jack halted his rhythmic step, and the blonde cracked his eyes open in surprise. Jack did not speak, and quietly Ralph inquired, "What's wrong?" "Look." Jack said with half of a voice. Ralph raised his head slightly and gasped.

This place, it's beauty; he understood what Jack meant immediately. The erethreal sight before him glowed with strange, glorious yellow lights, which swirled and blinked with a sort of unreality. They illuminated the fanning, drooping leaves of the trees, which disappeared into the dimness of the night as dainty pink and white flowers appeared and began to glow. Both of their wide eyes shone with a yellow glint as well, and Ralph whispered, "Wh-what're-" "Fireflies," Jack said softly, "they're fireflies." He started forward, at first hesitant but then eagerly.

Butterflies in the day, Jack realized with a smile, and fireflies at night.

It seemed dreamlike, unreal, awe-inspiring. "Wizzoh!" Ralph said under his breath, "They're amazing!" He smiled gleefully, becoming restless. Jack sensed this and bent down so he could configure himself to the grassy floor of the space. As he did this, Jack asked, "What do you mean? It's as if you've never seen..." Ralph looked at him as he turned around, inquisitive. Jack gasped and began to laugh heartily. "Oh my - Ralph! You've never seen fireflies before?! That's crazy!" He continued to giggle, and Ralph felt awkward. "W-What? I suppose they don't gather where I live." Jack looked at him in disbelief. "But they must! Even in the city, I've heard they swarm! Where do you live?" To Ralph, the question seemed strange. He lived here, on this island, where the "fireflies" congregated and where Jack sat and gazed questioningly at him. He did not want to remember the society he was once apart of and the house in which he lived at one time that now seemed like a distant memory. The prospect of rescue did not exist to him any longer.

Ralph cleared his throat awkwardly, "W-Well I'd much rather hear about where you lived, first." Where he lived first. He swallowed tensely. Jack did not notice. "Well, alright." He began. "Nothing special, I suppose. I had an acre - just woods - and my father and I used to go hunting on my neighbor's land." "Hardly surprising," Ralph said, smiling. Jack laughed agreeably, leaning back on his hands. "He had more land than we did, of course; about twenty-four acres of pure forest. We always went for deer and rabbit, but I always preferred the deer. The chase was always long and exciting." Jack's description of his hunting ventures caused Ralph to chuckle softly. Where had the thoughtful, precocious person gone?

Jack, enraptured with his story and reminded of the kill he had performed that very day, did not notice. "As for my home, it was pretty small. My father and I were the only ones who lived there and we didn't really need anything more than we already had. If we'd ever run out of something, my father'd usually tell me to toughen up, but I didn't really mind if we did anyhow." He smiled modestly. "But that's enough about me; I'm sure you're bored. Now it's your turn."

Ralph became comforted by the good nature of the conversation, so much so that he felt he could begin. However, he found that many details of his former life had been forgotten in the life he lived now. 'I'll remember as I go along, I'm sure.' he thought to himself. He swallowed at the lump in his throat. "My home; um...we - had a library..." Ralph stopped to further contemplate. Jack waited patiently, assuming a lazy position on the ground, resting his head in his arms and ignoring the flickering fireflies. "I was in there constantly. I remember-" He stopped to giggle. "-when I was young; I would try to read the books - you know the type - the hard cover ones that were worn and seemed one hundred years old; the type that had some loose pages that you'd always have to stuff back in-" He acted out such a task with his hands, which were void of such an object but seemed experienced in holding them at the same time. Jack watched, humored. "And my parents would have a jolly good time watching; I could only imagine what they must have thought of me." He laughed, slightly embarrassed at such a personal notion concerning his parents, who were now buried in the recesses of his mind. It was hard for him to believe they were thousands of miles away at that moment.

Now he found that he was excited in telling his story and got into it greatly. "I had no siblings either, but I had a dog - a Scottie named Jillian. I'd always take her for runs in this enormous field near my house - especially in the wintertime; she loved the snowflakes." Jack simply could not help but smile as he repressed amiable chuckles at his story. He realized that, as Ralph gestured and continued to act out such actions, a firefly had landed on his shoulder and remained there contentedly, absorbing the comfortable atmosphere that Ralph seemed to carry with him wherever he went. "I would always come home late and my parents would be very angry, but I suppose I didn't care so much." Jack could not hold it in any longer and began to giggle openly. Ralph frowned. "What's so funny?" Still laughing, Jack sat up and laid one finger on the shoulder on which the firefly sat. Ralph tensed, but as Jack pulled away he saw what he believed to be the source of humor and blushed.

This, however, was not due to any embarrassment. This was at the delightfully close proximity of the two, and the dreamlike, unreal beauty of the boy's smile.

--

Sparks fluttered and swayed from the enormous orange, burning body that was attached to the blackened wood, and looked as if it longed for release. The sparks lifted and grayed, disappearing into the dark, limitless sky. None of the cooked pig remained, aside from a few picked bones, but the air did not ring with satisfaction. The fire accounted for most of the sound that blanketed the air, aside from tiny whispers and nervous rustling from the painted boys. The beach, for all its stillness, was anything but peaceful.

The Chief sat as an omnipotent force on a slab of wood which served as his throne, garlanded with leaves and vines and coated with disturbing paint. In his left hand he held his spear, dulled from the hunt he had done hours before and still stained with lurid blood. He tapped it furiously on the side of his throne to gain their undivided attention. "Sit before me," he hissed. Immediately all the boys, on fours, crawled towards him and plopped down on the sand a safe distance away from him. He smirked at their behavior, and relished the new, delicious power he possessed. He tapped again, although there was no need due to the deathly silence of the assembly. The Chief began loudly and otherwise uncharacteristically. "As I have said before, this feast is to celebrate me: the new Chief." They clapped wordlessly, numbly for him. "And as your new leader, I propose change, serious change. Things around here will be altered so that we can create a new, more powerful tribe. Under my control we will flourish." A littlun raised his hand carefully into the air, not fully understanding the situation or what the consequences of his actions would be.

The Chief looked at him darkly. "Speak." The little boy, squirming under his gaze, said, "W-Where's the other chief? Where's he gone? Does he know-" He cried out horridly, feeling his hair getting pulled painfully upwards and his face lifting towards the sky. His eyes were blurry with tears. "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing, asking such a foolish question?! I ought to kill you for that you stupid child!" He flung him to the side violently, and watched as the boy's throat became ablaze with cries and moans as he squirmed on the ground. The Chief turned towards the rest of the group, who were shocked and terror-stricken as they saw what had just unfolded. A universal urge to stop their new leader's behavior enveloped them all, but they remained silent and fearful of his authority. "Do you all see that?! That's what happens when you say such idiotic things! This is not a democracy, understand? I am the sole leader; no other positions will ever be available. There will simply be no need." The boy continued to holler and cry loudly, but the Chief did not try to stop it, for he found it was too enjoyable. He smiled euphorically. "Now, the only thing standing in our way are the two remaining on the island. They're on the mountain, right now, completely unaware of our new faction." He giggled madly, and the boys shrank away. He gripped his spear with more strength. "We must eliminate them at all costs. The one who once had the gall to call himself chief must be-" A brick wall formed in his mind, and for a moment he could not get past it. No matter how hard it proved to be, he broke through.

"He must be killed. We must bait him here using his companion, whom I plan to capture tomorrow morning. Early tomorrow morning. I recruit you," he jabbed a finger in Maurice's direction, "and you," now in Harold's. "You will accompany me as we travel towards the mountain. I will tell you what to do while we are on our way. And as for the rest of you..." Names were no longer necessary. The Chief deemed them unworthy to carry titles. "-you will all prepare a large fire with the specs I retrieved. Also, gather vines so we can tie him up and torture him properly." Laughter suddenly erupted from his mouth, causing the group to flinch away, eyes locked onto his demented face. None were interested in any such torture as they were before; now that they saw such malice they certainly did not want to reflect it. Still laughing, he continued, "There are no empty promises in this tribe! None!"

The boys, like the flock of tiny birds, shuddered and whimpered as one entity who feared the disintegration of the last bit of order left in their world. A realization dawned upon a few select individuals, one which had once overcome them quite a long time ago, one that a different authority planted into their minds.

OOO SNAP!! Scary stuff! Now that you all know what's going on, what do you think? LET ME KNOW!! It seems bleak to me so far, but I'm gonna add a lot more interesting stuff, so just be patient guys!! :3 NEXT CHAPTER UP SOON!!


	14. Chapter 14

HEY LOVES!! How are you guys doing this lovely day? XD Wow...on chapter 14; I remember so long ago this fanfic wouldn't have gone past 12 chapters X3. WISHFUL THINKING!!

I'm not particularly fond of this chapter, partially because I wanted to get Sam's character as close as I could to his book counterpart (yup, he's back!), but I feel like I failed. I also feel like the organization of this chapter's kinda kooky; just tell me what you guys think!!

Disclaimer: If I owned LOTF, I would have the choir boys complain about their frills to Jack. Not that I'm complaining about them; I think they're so darn cute! But that'd make for a funny scene. XDXD (Wow┘product of sleeplessness XD)

ON WITH THE SHOW!!

Chapter 14

The constant rustling of dry leaves permeated the air beneath the frond-ceiling of the shelter, and the thick blackness kept Sam from peering out into the nighttime to see if anyone was outside. The leaves continued to crackle beneath the restless boys, and carefully Sam said, "Eric, are you still awake?" The sound heightened in volume as Eric, fatigued from the stress of the feast, turned over towards his brother who had sat up nervously. "Keep it down," he whispered harshly, "d'you want Roger to hear us?! Just go to sleep." A cool breeze swept across the beach, tousling the palms of the towering trees and causing Sam to shiver. "B-But..." He configured himself in a more comfortable manner, crossing his legs and slouching. He lowered his voice and studied where he estimated his disgruntled twin was in the black fog of night. "Eric, didn't you hear him?! He's going to do them! We've got to tell them, or-" He felt crackling leaves shift beneath him and felt Eric's breath close to him, although he still seemed invisible. "Sam, listen. There's nothing we can do, see? The Chief should have come back; he should have stopped Roger; it's his fault." Both of the boys flinched as one entity as a littlun cried out from a nearby shelter, then was hushed by an unknown force. "Eric - please! We can't let Roger do what he wants! He's not the Chief; he'll never be!" Suddenly he felt his shoulders being squeezed by flustered hands, which began to shake him harshly. "Listen to yourself! He'll do us, Sam; we'll be done for! Do you really want that?!"

The rare brush of emotion between them was overpowering, and it made the concealed shelter seem to shrink. Eric let go slowly, turning his head away from his twin and began to study the rough ground. He could not sit with the awkwardness for long. "Look, Sam. It'd be better for everyone if we just went along with whatever Roger's doing. It'd save everyone a lot of trouble." Sam stared in Eric's direction, mouth agape. "I-I can't believe you! Their lives are on the line and you really want to sit here like nothing's-" "You're talking nonsense," Eric interrupted quietly, lowering himself to the ground once more, "listen to yourself." In the heat of the moment Sam felt himself rise out of the shelter and shimmy out. Eric felt him move. "Where are you going, Sam?! Don't you leave; the Chie-Roger..." Sam became indignant. He spoke an octave higher, "You don't even know who's Chief anymore. What's Roger done to you, Eric? Please, please don't become one of them - we've got to stop this! I need you to come with me, Eric." Suddenly Sam saw a milky figure emerge from the black ground, and concluded it was Eric after seeing his face study him worriedly. Sam ignored the feeling of vulnerability that came with sitting on the dim beach at night, in close proximity to their new Chief, no less. "O-Ok, Sam. Here's what I'll do; just keep me out of this-" "No!" Sam protested, approaching his twin. "Sam, I'm not coming. I'll say that you left to the lavatories or something, okay? C'mon, I don't want any part of this." He noticed how harshly Sam breathed, and pitied him. He crouched further into the darkness of the shelter.

"B-But Eric..." Sam turned to the dark sea, overcome with anxiety. "If you want to do this than shove off before it's light out," he heard a voice say quietly from the shelter, no longer seeing Eric's ghostly figure. Hopelessly, knowing full well what ridiculous situation he was in, Sam toyed with a pebble he dug out from an inch of sand. He sighed, looking towards the sky in an effort to expel this feeling. The trip to Castle Rock, he knew, would be long. Gritting his teeth, he spoke into the shelter entrance, still clenching the tiny rock, "I'll be back as soon as I can."

--

The firefly, which crawled tactfully on Jack's extended finger, slowly dimmed and illuminated its body. When he held it up for the blonde to see, Ralph felt his attention focus from Jack to the bug. He was shocked at the true size of it, and even though he felt the need to look around at the others to accept this fact fully, he could not tear his gaze away. "See?" Jack began quietly, keeping his finger as still as possible and looking into Ralph's amazed eyes. "What people usually do is try and catch them with nets or jars or what have you. That never much appealed to me. This is a lot easier." Jack watched as Ralph's still face dimmed, than glowed, dimmed, glowed, with the stark yellow of the firefly. His bright caramel eyes, wide with wonder, met Jack's. "But," he said, not taking his eyes off of the red head, "wouldn't that harm them?" "No, of course not. Not if you let them go." Jack replied with a smile. He was interrupted by the fluttering bug before them, and simultaneously they backed away. They each watched the firefly lift and bumble away towards some of the undergrowth, alight with glowing yellow.

Ralph looked back to Jack, who still watched it fly away, still smiling but with less glee. It was more of a sort of temperance, Ralph decided, and he involuntarily inched towards him. 'Beautiful,' he thought, caught once again in Jack's spellbinding allure. The boy noticed him, and as his smile disappeared he said, "You look tired, Ralph. Do you want to stay here or go back?" That should not have even been a question. He never wanted to leave, he never wanted this moment to end, he did not want to have to return to a reality where others existed besides Jack, himself and the friendly but startling fireflies. Ralph suddenly felt the tug within him that beckoned himself towards Jack again, and he did not deny it. He crept closer, saying under his breath, "Well...I don't know. I'm not tired; perhaps we could stay here a bit longer."

Seeing Ralph inching closer caused Jack to pick up upon the tug, the emotional and physical one, and he felt the complacent aura Ralph carried with him bathe his body in shivering comfort. Suddenly the need for words vanished when they looked into each other's eyes, understanding and accepting the dreamlike quality of their world. Jack took Ralph's face in his hands and rested his forehead gently on the boy's. The connection they felt at that moment was electric and instantaneous between them, and the calm, floating fireflies no longer existed aside from the light they offered. Delighted, Ralph closed his eyes and felt himself flush and knew that no words, nothing, could penetrate their world. Slowly, with as much gentleness he could muster, Jack tilted his head and allowed his lips to meet Ralph's as he had done so long ago. Ralph twitched, slightly taken aback, but pushed away any fear he felt and allowed his arms to travel around Jack's form, pulling him closer.

Jack slowly parted from Ralph, looking into his eyes as they exchanged smiled that reflected their inner happiness. He kissed him warmly, lightly on the cheek, and began lowering himself towards the ground. Ralph looked down in surprise as Jack let his head rest on his lap, letting his hands rest on his chest. "I'm beginning to feel tired myself," Jack whispered softly, closing his eyes. "Then rest, Jack," Ralph replied with equal quiescence, "We'll stay here for the night." He allowed his hands to rest on Jack's head, softly smoothing his hair so that he would succumb with greater ease to sleep. Ralph whispered, not wanting to disturb Jack, "I love you; I love you so much, Jack." The boy, who was already teetering on the border of sleep and consciousness, replied, "And I you..." Ralph believed him, feeling no doubt, and continued to stroke his hair soothingly.

Ralph remained quietly seated on the ground, watching the fireflies rise and settle on the flowers. He knew that Jack had fallen asleep quite a while ago when he began to hear his soft, even breathing, and had recently stopped studying the rise and fall of his chest. He thought he had heard some noise in the black forest earlier as well, but deemed it nocturnal animals rummaging to find food in their lush environment. The noise returned, however, and he began to feel a bit uneasy as to what it could have been. He did not want to disturb Jack's sleep and simply remained sitting, until the sound came back once again with a frightening vengeance. His nerves, overrun with raw fear, caused him to shiver and he finally decided to move Jack. Very slightly, praying that more noise would not cause him to jump, he eased the sleeping boy to the ground with steady hands. He succeeded, and with an outward sigh he suddenly became wary of the noise that had returned and that seemed closer now. He breathed in shakily, tense and waiting ludicrously in one spot on the ground.

Suddenly, along with the sound of crunching leaves and snapping twigs he heard a voice softly say, "Wacco!" Ralph gasped but found that because he had frozen himself to the ground he could not move. He felt his heart beat erratically in his ears, and tensed himself further, ready to attack anyone who was approaching. As a figure emerged from the forest, stunned, Ralph leapt painfully to his feet, only to discover that it was a familiar and partially welcoming face.

Sam gasped when he saw Ralph standing at an angle, staring back at him. "R-Ralph! What're you doing here; why aren't you on Castle Rock?!" The flustered blonde opened his mouth to answer, but noticed a blush flood his face and he fell silent; he did not feel obliged to explain such a thing. "Well...what're you doing here? Shouldn't you be on the beach?" Sam noticed Jack sleeping soundly adjacent to him, and he whispered harshly, "I should be, but...what happened? Are you guys okay?' "We're just fine, Sam," Ralph said, remembering his former anger towards the boy and his twin who, to his surprise, was not with him. Their meeting, at night in the heart of the thick forest, seemed absurd. "Why didn't you and Eric help me when you got the chance?! What were you thinking?!" Sam lowered himself hurriedly before Ralph, pleading, "We're sorry about that, but the Chief...Jack, I mean...he told us..." He remained silent, unsure of the circumstances Ralph was facing at that moment. Why were he and the former Chief together?

Ralph's eyes widened in realization. That was before everything, that was before Jack loved him, before he reciprocated his feelings; those memories seemed forgotten until Sam reminded him of them. Ralph replied slowly, "I see." 'B-But Ralph, listen, we've got a problem," Sam began, finding it difficult to keep himself together, "a really big problem. Roger's gone mad." Ralph raised an eyebrow, waiting to here more. Sam recollected what Bill had told him and Eric before the feast began. "That's right! Roger went up to Castle Rock to fetch the Chief for a feast, but - he came back down and he'd gone batty! He says he's the new Chief now; I don't know why he got so mad, but he came down and that's what he said. He wants to - to..." Ralph stared at him in shock. He could hear his heart beat, thump, pound. "What the bloody hell are you talking about? He went to Castle Rock?" Reality suddenly and heavily crashed down upon him. He had gone to Castle Rock. "When did he go up there?!" "Well," Sam began, "I'm not certain. He went to get the Chief before the feast, which was during the afternoon, so perhaps sometime around then." Horror flooded Ralph's veins and caused numbness to consume him. When he and Jack were together; he had been there. Stars enveloped his sight as he began to feel faint.

'He had to have seen everything!'Ralph thought, gasping to himself. Sam looked at him, puzzled. Ralph began slowly, swallowing. "Me - me and Jack - he saw us...' He began to shiver in fright. He knew that he had to explain. Sam looked over towards Jack, then shifted his gaze back towards the shaking blonde with great concern. "Is that why...you're together here? You were together up there, too?" Ralph gulped, nodding. The vagueness of the boy's statement did not calm him, for he could not be sure as to what he was calculating in his head. Sam patted Ralph's clenched fist lightly, "It's okay, I'm sorry Ralph. So that means he's jealous then, do you think?" The blonde, terrified and still, nodded. Perhaps Sam understood; perhaps he did not. This was no longer important to him as he attempted to absorb the information. Roger was not capable of feeling that way towards anyone.

Or was he? The fireflies seemed nonexistent to him now that the realness of the nightmare was clarified.

Sam kept his hand planted on Ralph's in an attempt to afford him some sort of comfort. "Ralph, listen though, okay? I think - no, I'm certain - you two're in trouble. Roger, he wants to take you, Ralph; he wants to lure the Chief in with you, s-so he..." Ralph spoke under his breath, "What, Sam? Please tell me!" The absence of his other half, Eric, made it difficult to formulate words. Ralph became horribly agitated. "Sam! Please! I need to know!" Soundlessly Jack shifted in his sleep, and Ralph curse at himself for speaking too loudly. He became angered that the peaceful, exotic atmosphere changed for the worst, and for all he knew the dim lights that really came from the fireflies could have found their origin in the twinkling stars. "R-Ralph," Sam began, far quieter than before, "he wants to - do you both in. You're in trouble, and it's as if-" Sam fought back angry tears, "-as if I'm the only one that'll help! Even Eric didn't..." Release was immense, and he pounded the ground with his fist. Ralph, sitting shocked and silent, felt sweat cool and uncomforting on his face. This was truly his worst nightmare, and he felt no words escape when they should have from his dry, cotton mouth. Roger would do them in.

Ralph, breathing out harshly, eyes widened, spoke in half of a whisper. "J-Jack...Jack and...and I-" "I'm going to help you, okay?" Sam replied in desperation, pushing away his anger. "I'll help others get away from Roger. Perhaps we can fight 'im off, Ralph." The loyalty Sam felt for Ralph caused a warmth to erupt within his cold heart; he really had not lost a companion. He found that, in this moment, he treasured Sam's friendship and prayed that he would not be lost like those so dear to him had. "He, well," Sam started, pointing to Jack's sleeping form, "he's a much better Chief than Roger'll ever be, but even while he was it seemed as if Roger had power over all of us." Indignation returned, sour and miserable. "S-So I'll help in any way I can. He's really not so terrible, Ralph; I'm sorry he did those things to you, but maybe after this whole thing's done, you'll see."

So he really did not realize. Ralph felt his mouth twitch into a smile, but shook it off. A bit of relief was available to be relished in, but was quickly replaced by utter dread. Roger would try to kill them, so to avoid such a situation┘Ralph sought in his mind for the solution but could not find it. Surely they could fight him off; they could keep him away.

Ralph looked towards Jack, savoring his unconscious presence as if he would disappear at any moment. Sorrow welled up inside of him at the possibility, and he felt sick and aching. Unaware of Sam's curious eyes, Ralph leaned carefully towards Jack, placing his hand lightly atop his head and stroking the slight curls of his red hair. He breathed inwardly. "Roger won't succeed. I'll make sure he doesn't."

OOH SNAP!! Ralph's getting all determined and such!! It depresses me greatly to see this story winding down, but all things must come to an end, I suppose T.T I guess I'll be working on one-shots when this puppy's done, so look out for those :3. Thanks for reading guys, next chapter up soon!!


	15. Chapter 15

GAAH!! Well hello everyone XDXD. I've been on vacation, so I haven't been able to update in quite a while, and I do apologize for that T.T. However, I have the rest of the story completely mapped out from here, and I certainly hope you guys enjoy it. This is the second to last chapter, as far as I have planned, and an epilogue will follow, so we're pretty much at the end of the story! Thanks to all of you who've given me such gracious reviews and support! ROCK ON GUYS!! I heart you all!! :3

**Disclaimer**: If I owned LOTF, I would have made someone use the British term, "Bung ho!" because it seems to me Golding uses everyone but that, and it'd be pretty hilarious XDXD. (Yeah...in case you haven't noticed, I'm running out of good ideas for a disclaimer. Oh well X3.)

ENJOY!!

Chapter 15

With the milky, gray light of morning came a feeling of shivering anxiety for Harold and Maurice, the minions who followed their new leader with tied-down terror. Their Chief felt a sense of urgency as he lead the way through the lightened, cool forest where dry leaves and husks of once-living plants crackled and split under their feet. He examined his dull spear, grimacing, and said under his breath, "When we get there, perhaps I'll take his knife as well." The two frightened savages ignored him, keeping their distance from him and huddling closely towards one another. Soon, through the tops of the gray trees, the dark bastion that was Castle Rock appeared. Roger could feel himself losing control at the thought of taking Ralph from Jack. He did not care for Jack as he once had after he witnessed their passionate confession, and did not believe he deserved his name for that reason. He decided that Jack, as well as Ralph, would be forever nameless. 'I finally get to give him the torturing of his life,' Roger thought, and the prospect of hurting another whom he felt such hatred towards caused his blood to stir under his skin. The confusion that had once swirled in his heart vanished as if it had been rubbed away, but the insanity remained.

Roger slackened his pace and began softly, but sternly. "We're almost there, so here's what we'll do." He stopped in front of them and focused his gaze on Maurice. "If they're both asleep, I want you to use the vines we brought to tie up the small one. Keep his mouth bound so that he won't awaken the other one." He paused, staring at the ground. He pushed through the brick wall that built itself once again in his mind, and could not explain where it had come from. Roger motioned towards Harold next when he had recovered. "If he does wake up, I want you to knock him out. Just make sure he doesn't fight back." Harold nodded in an assuring gesture to avoid angering his Chief. "Let's hurry, now."

--

The climb up the mountainside was easier for Roger in comparison to his minions, who had not done so in quite a while and thus forgot the ritualistic carefulness of the task. Roger became annoyed when he had to wait for them and whispered angrily, "I shouldn't be waiting for you two buggas! Hurry up! They hastened now, frightened and ultimately unprepared for what they had to do. Harold gazed absently to his left and saw a sliver of glowing gold that shivered on the horizon and the warm, accompanied light that turned the sky blue again made the world seem more solid. Realizing he had slowed down, he picked up his pace, following Maurice's footsteps that he deemed safe and carried on as quickly as his legs would let him. They finally caught up to Roger who was leaning impatiently against the rock. He snickered, taking the last few steps that lead towards the opening of the cave. He gripped his spear. "Ready or not..."

Roger peered into the cave excitedly, but all at once felt the happiness drop down to the pits of his stomach like a heavy rock. He trembled angrily. "What the hell-" He stormed into the cave, only to find that it was utterly void of human life. Harold gasped when he tiptoed into the cave, and Maurice mouth went agape. "Bloody _hell_!" In a violent rage Roger cried out, kicking an empty coconut shell across the room, "Damn them!" The two boys cringed at his action, refusing to move from where they stood. Roger turned towards them, flustered and red in the face, "Where the bloody hell did they go?!" He found another coconut shell and kicked it off the side of the cliff in a frenzy. He hissed, "Where did they _go_?!" The boys did not know how to answer him and simply remained silent, watching where he kicked the shell and allowing the silence to drown them. Roger continued to pant madly. "Both of you! Search the whole bloody forest for them; I'm going to start a meeting! Do what I told you to do when you find them!" Maurice and Harold stood still, watching their Chief and not knowing what to do. "Don't just stand their you idiots, find them _now_!" Maurice touched Harold's arm gently, and he led their procession out of the cave and down the difficult slope.

The cool, moist morning air was sliced in half by the approaching warmth of the rising sun. The space where Jack lay half asleep became illuminated with sweet light, and however many shadows remained were rendered dull at the sun's touch. As Jack began to come around, keeping his eyes closed, he listened to the chirping of nearby birds in the trees and noticed how damp the grass around him had become. He also noticed a slight weight on his chest and shoulder, and felt cautious about moving away from its comfortable warmth. Jack cracked open his eyes, rubbing one with the side of his damp hand. As he looked down to investigate the source of the warm weight his crystal eyes widened and his heart thumped in his chest.

Ralph's head was resting gently on his chest, and one of his arms slumped solidly across his chest and over his shoulder. Jack exhaled slowly, feeling Ralph's heart beat lightly against him and his soft breath brushing against his skin. When had he fallen asleep; when had he taken on this position? Jack held back the urge to chuckle to himself so he would not disturb the sleeping boy. He felt for Ralph's limp hand, and when he found it he held it carefully, gazing up at the sky and smiling. Just a little longer, Jack thought to himself, and perhaps he would take on the adventure of moving Ralph. However, the urgency that would have otherwise been there was absent; he felt himself not caring if anyone came to this place and saw them. It was beautiful to him, a moment that could not be forgotten or replaced by any other. It was precious, dreamlike, happy. 'If it were up to me I'd tell everyone,' Jack pondered, but realized that even that would be absurd.

Suddenly he felt Ralph shift against him, pulling his hand back from Jack's but soon returning to where Jack had held it. He groped for the boy's hand but found nothing, and made a small, whimpering noise. Jack chuckled, holding his hand once again, and Ralph settled. 'Good God,' Jack thought to himself, smiling, 'this'll be harder than I thought.' Soon he realized that there was no real way of moving away from Ralph without waking him, so he released his hand from the boy's and began stroking his fair hair. He smiled happily once again, knowing that this creature was one who felt similarly towards him and would do the same tender things for him.

Ralph shifted once again, bringing his hand sleepily to his eye and rubbing it in a similar manner that Jack had done minutes ago. He whispered, voice thick with sleepiness, "J-...Jack." The red head leaned to kiss him on the head, ignoring the dull pain in his chest from the healing wound. "G'morning." Sinking into the real, solid world about him, Ralph rolled carefully away from Jack, rubbing both of his eyes and exhaling. Jack got up slowly so that his chest would not be bothered. "Did you sleep alright out here, Ralph? It might have gotten cold." Ralph looked up at him sleepily, outstretching a hand towards his cheek. Jack discovered that the blonde boy looked slightly troubled. He knew that the moment he would never forget ended, and became sad. He did not let Ralph see that. "You alright?" The boy's eyebrows arched sadly, and he reached further for Jack, not speaking. Jack laid back down so that he could hold the blonde, wondering whether this was the comfort Ralph was looking for. He had just learned compassion and did not know how to help him, but regardless felt a strong desire to wipe the miserable look from his beloved's face.

From the moment he had awakened, the memories from the night before invaded Ralph's tranquil mind. His first thoughts seemed like commands, ordering him to tell of Roger's newly acquired, self-proclaimed position, and why he had decided to do such a thing. Even now, as he burrowed his face into Jack's chest, the commands became louder and more pronounced. He ignored them for a time, remaining silent. He only wanted to feel Jack against him, holding him and being close, but could no longer ignore what had occurred even though he was still sleepy. Jack was baffled at the silence.

Finally, Ralph broke it. "J-Jack...I - something happened last night..." "What?" Jack asked, smoothing his fair hair. Ralph exhaled, pulling the boy closer towards him. "It happened after you - you fell asleep. I-" This was too much for him during these early hours of the morning, but he felt that he had to tell him. They were in danger, and this fact proved useful in awakening him further. "What happened, Ralph?" If only Sam was there to explain for him. He swallowed the lump in his throat. If Jack became angry...explosively angry..."It's about Roger, Jack. I think he - no, he really did, I know for sure. He saw..." Ralph swallowed again, feeling cold sweat form and dread creep eerily upon him. "Roger saw, w-when...on Castle Rock..." He felt Jack twitch, and slowly he sat up again. Ralph read the understanding in Jack's eyes with ease. "No - he...no, there was a feast. There-" Now Ralph was fully alert, consumed in dreadful feeling. "He went up to look for you, Jack."

Silence permeated the air between them. Jack's eyes, the ones which met with Ralph's, became wide with fear, and he took in a shuddering breath. Ralph began to sit up, still gazing at Jack. He whispered, "How do you know this?" Ralph took Jack's numbed hand in his own, staring at the ground. "S-Sam...Sam told me. He came last night. He said that Roger-" He lost his breath for a moment, then regained it. Jack looked at him with eyes that seemed to swallow him up. "Roger...he's gone batty. He doesn't want you to be...he wants t-to be the-" It had to come; he knew he had to say it. "- the Chief." He choked on the last word, growing tenser by the second. Astonished, frightened, angered, Jack breathed in and nearly screamed. "Roger...he-" Ralph nearly broke out into tears. He grabbed Jack and held him close, shuddering. "Jack..." The tears began. "He - he wants to kill us! Everyone's too frightened to stand up to him! Only Sam's done anything about it!" Sobs made him choke on his words further and shake convulsively. He buried himself in Jack's body, wanting to be as close to him as he could. His mind numbed entirely aside from the acknowledgement of his own cries and tears. Ralph felt that he was not strong enough to stop this...if he could only return to his sleep.

What happened to the memorable tranquility of the morning? Jack, stricken by disbelief and horror, took in a deep breath. He felt the need to keep himself together, for Ralph's sake. He allowed Ralph to cry for a time, rubbing his arched back and continually smoothing his hair. Soon he muttered a question. "Where's Sam?" Ralph breathed in, not moving. "The beach, I - I expect." He lifted his face, reddened and damp with tears. "But Roger's there; you can't go!" He held Jack's face, gazing into it pleadingly. "P-Please, Jack. Please don't go. Don't." He allowed his arms to curl around his shoulders, resting his head next to Jack's. "Don't leave. We're not safe. We've got to be logical." "Ralph," Jack began quietly, returning the embrace, "I'm not going anywhere. We'll stay here, unless you think Sam'll return-" "N-No!" Ralph cried, tightening his grip on the boy. ...Please stay, Jack; please stay..."

For as long as Jack had known Ralph, he had never seen him act in such a manner. The reality of it began to sink in because of this; they were not safe no matter where they went. "Ralph, we'll be found no matter what we do." Jack said softly, holding him closely. "Listen, okay? If we can get everyone to rebel against Roger, he won't be able to do a thing. We've just got to get over to the beach without him there, and get the whole lot back to the mountain." Ralph released himself from Jack's embrace, keeping his eyes locked with his as if they would disappear. "Jack," Ralph began, this time with new worry, "why is Roger reacting the way he is? I - I thought he was loyal to you...is he - jealous, or..." The abrupt question frightened Jack completely. The reality of it was that Roger had been that loyal, as far as he could tell. What could have caused him to feel a sudden surge of this destructive jealousy?

Jack had learned many things about the feelings and actions that accompanied one in love, and to him, unfortunately, Roger's behavior fit the symptoms of a lovesick human being. He trusted his gut as if he were an expert in analyzing thought. "It doesn't matter why; Roger's mad now. Nothing that we could say or do will make a difference. We've just got to stop him."

Suddenly the sound of crackling footsteps erupted nearby, jolting the two boys on the ground. Jack stood up, wincing at the pain in his chest, and Ralph followed suit. "J-Jack!" "Who's there?!" Jack said loudly, angrily. The blonde boy was sheltered by Jack's form, and he held onto his shoulders to keep him from moving away. Jack focused entirely on the entryway to the space, where no butterflies congregated as they did days before. A voice, quiet and careful, could be heard. "It's only me. It's Sam!" Ralph breathed a sigh of relief. "Only Sam, Jack." The red head nodded, waiting silently for Sam to appear. Finally he did, stumbling over a thick root. He paused when he saw Jack staring at him, crestfallen and almost desperate.

Ralph, sliding his hands away from the boy's shoulders, said quietly, "I told him, Sam. He knows everything." Sam nodded, gazing at the ground in melancholy. He cleared his throat, keeping his head down. "I-I'm sorry, Chief. We couldn't control him; we hadn't a prayer of-" The tenderness Jack learned from Ralph caused him to forget the hardness in which he spoke while he held a chiefly position. He had still been referred to as Chief, and this gave him new hope. "Sam, where's Roger right now? Is he at the beach?" The boy nodded, configuring himself so he could sit on the bright grass. A couple of stray, white butterflies bumbled over flowers behind him, settling on their dark green leaves. Ralph lowered himself down as well, making sure not to hurt his ankle. Sam spoke, "He went to Castle - Castle Rock. That's why I'm here. He wasn't there to stop me." Realization dawned upon him, and he gasped at the memory of that night, remembering Roger's plan. "Chief!" Sam finally found the courage to look Jack square in the face due to the urgency of telling. "Roger said he'd go with two others to Castle Rock to try and take Ralph, and they're - they're not back yet┘that means they know. They know you're not there!"

Utter rage burnt through compassion. Jack reached towards Sam and shook him by the shoulders. "What the hell are you talking about?! He wants Ralph?! Why?!" Ralph's caramel eyes became glassy as he reached to lightly touch Jack's flexed arm. "He wants - to lure 'im in, to get you Chief..." Jack's eyes widened in fury. "We've got to get everybody away from the beach! Now! If Roger comes back and sees that he still has a tribe, he'll be able to do what he wants!" Ralph sat, anxious and twisting behind Jack, who was now standing up and grabbing his spear. Sam stood up with him worriedly. "But we can't take Ralph into the forest! Who knows if - if Roger'll be there..." Jack sighed in exasperation, seeing for the first time the intelligence of this boy who could really think without the presence of his other half. He turned towards the blonde, who was in the process of standing as they were. "Ralph, you'll get onto my back; we're going to go as quickly as we can. If we run into Roger I'll keep him off. If that happens, you two must make sure the others get to Castle Rock while I keep him preoccupied, alright?" Sam nodded, but Ralph stared anxiously at the ground. Jack shifted his gaze towards the opening, not noticing Ralph's frightened state. Keeping his spear clenched tightly in one hand, he walked with great care towards the opening of the space.

Sam treaded towards Ralph, and set a hand on his shoulder. He spoke in a whisper, "You didn't tell 'im that, did you Ralph?" The blonde remained silent, staring now in Jack's direction. "No? Why not? You really shouldn't have - well...- you shouldn't have waited for me to tell 'im." Slowly, Ralph moved his glassy eyes towards Sam, shuddering. He simply did not care anymore. "I didn't want Jack to worry about me...I suppose. B-Because...I really-" Jack turned around, swiftly making his way towards the two boys. Ralph shut his mouth instantly, and Sam moved his hand away from his shoulder. "No one's there," Jack began, crouching slightly in front of Ralph so he could climb upon his back, "we've got to get going now. I'll lead the way, and Sam, you stay behind me and make sure Ralph's safe, alright?" Sam nodded helpfully, watching as the blonde boy got a good grasp on Jack. When they were properly organized, Jack led the speedy precession into the ominous forest.

As they crept wordlessly out of the sunny space, Sam gazed at Ralph in bewilderment. His behavior the night before towards Jack, not to mention the uncharacteristic weakness and the absence of his stubbornness, intrigued him. The paranoia that he felt in the forest was only just sufficient to bring him out of his thoughts.

--

Although it was still morning, the jungle was already a hot, shadowy mass of creeper and tree. Jack crouched carefully, adjacent to Sam, behind a flowering bush, and Ralph peered above the top of it to see if any savage was lurking in the shadows. He saw nothing, and gave the lowered boys the signal he had been taught on the way. They moved on wordlessly so they would not give themselves away to a sharp listener.

Ralph unconsciously smiled to himself when he noticed a bright opening behind the trees, which could only mean they were approaching the beach. Jack noticed this as well, slackening his pace. Sam kept going at a fast rate, pushing and tearing through vines and drooping leaves. He prayed silently that Roger had not returned. 'But what could he do with all of us here?' This provided little comfort for him, who crouched near the boundary between forest and beach. When Jack emerged with Ralph, whose senses were acute and eyes looking carefully around, he whispered, "Sam, go into all of the huts and wake everybody up. Tell them their Chief ordered them to get to Castle Rock immediately." Sam froze to the sand. "B-But what if Roger's here?" Jack, looking him dead in the eye, whispered earnestly, "I'll deal with him. Just get everybody up." No gesture, no words, just movement came from the frightened boy as he flew into one shelter. Jack knelt down so that Ralph could get off of his back, and he did so as quickly as he could. Ralph whispered, almost silently, "Jack, what'll you do when Roger comes?" Jack turned towards him with a look of uncertainty. Ralph knew that he would not try to reason with him. "I...I don't know yet. I don't know what I'll have to do until he comes."

Jack was in denial. He knew that the Angel of Death held the only solution.

A few biguns appeared from behind the shelters, and a group of littluns followed closely behind them. One after another stared at Jack as if seeing him for the first time in years. How could their Chief be sitting on the sand next to a prisoner with no war paint adorning his features? However, they accepted that he had come back to power with relief and scuttled along the beach. More and more followed; this time some ran and others comforted crying littluns. Sam appeared behind, leading a group mainly consisting of biguns with a few stray littluns, and with this group came Eric. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Ralph, who smiled kindly at him. He returned the gesture awkwardly, making his way towards him with Sam. "Everyone's coming," he began, looking towards Castle Rock, "have you seen-"

Shrill cries and screams erupted suddenly a few meters ahead of them. A figure, milky in the hot morning light, pushed down a few littluns and began screaming what sounded like commands. Jack knew immediately who it could have been, and got to his feet painfully. He bolted towards them, shouting, "Keep going! Keep going; I'm right behind you!" His breathing became harsh as he ran further down the beach. Ralph stood up as quickly as he could, calling out, "Jack! Please, Jack!" But it was no use. Jack called to them, "Don't stop! I order you to keep moving!" The beach swarmed in a riotous mass of boys, who pushed through one another as if their lives depended on reaching the mountain. The milky figure became clear as he advanced towards Jack, who had stopped dead in his tracks.

It cried out, breathlessly and savagely, "Well! Look who we have here!"

DUN DUN DUUNNN!! Omigosh, crazy stuff here!! Just a small cliffhanger, guys XD.  
Oh...I see I'm near 50 reviews, and for that I thank all of you wholeheartedly!! Whoever gives me the 50th review gets a lemon square!! HOORAY!! XD Much love everyone, next chapter up in a jiffy!!


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer**: If I owned LOTF...hmm...I WOULDN'T NEED A BLOODY DISCLAIMER, WOULD I?! XDXD

Last chapter guys, I really hope you enjoyed my fanfic!! THANK YOU ALL x478930857023578!!

Chapter 16

As the fiery sun lifted higher into the opalescent sky, the heat on the already sweltering beach increased, and the screams and cries of the terrified boys grew quieter as they made their way towards Castle Rock. Jack could feel his heart beating erratically in his ears, and gazing forward he felt himself becoming dizzy. The figure whom he hated now with such ferocity advanced towards him, and he could hardly control himself from lunging forward in the same vicious way he did in the forest a few days ago. He clenched his fists together, allowing his eyes to widen as the figure smiled at him wickedly.

Roger stopped two yards ahead of him, breathing heavily and staring into Jack's eyes with sick humor. He repeated himself slowly, horribly, "Look who we have here!" He paused. "Well...if it isn't Chiefy!" Jack gritted his teeth, keeping his eyes on him as if to weaken him. "What're you going to do, Chiefy? Make me a prisoner? Fall in love with me? What?" He snickered madly, crossing his arms over his chest. "We wouldn't want to repeat that cycle, now would we? You'd lose a lot of the power you worked so hard to get, wouldn't you?" Jack's body tingled with a terrible sensation, one that threatened to overtake him, to make him lose control and beat the being before him to a bloody pulp, like they had done so long ago to Ralph. This feeling and the memory of what they did to his love, with their paralyzing sting, were the only things keeping him from saying horrible things to Roger.

Ralph tried with all of his might to run in the sand towards Jack, but found it difficult and extremely painful. He heard Roger giggling even from a distance, and he swore under his breath. He only wanted to keep Jack as far away from the scoundrel as possible, and so far it seemed like he held Jack powerfully in those cold eyes that stared into his own a while back. He winced, finally giving in to the horrible pain, and he let himself sink towards the ground. Like a runner, he watched and listened for a signal that would start the race, still and ready.

A burst of wind blew past them from the sea, pushing the torn fabric of their shorts against their legs, blowing their hair towards the beach. For all of his violent tendencies, Roger could sense the invisible line between them that he dare not pass. Not until it dissipated with further verbal torment. He wanted Jack to ache from the inside out, just like he did. "You know what; I'm jealous of you, Chiefy." He strolled towards the warm ocean water, letting it lick at his feet and ankles. Jack carefully watched his every move. "You've got everyone on this island wrapped around your finger. They'll do whatever you say, isn't that right? If you tell one to fetch wood, they'll do it. If you order one to get you water, they'll do it. If you-" He beamed after he thought of something else to say, something deliciously ghastly. "-if you tell someone to love you, they'll do it. How utterly _spectacular_!"

Jack's eyes burned with a brighter intensity than the blistering sun, and he ignored the invisible line that had planted itself between them. He lunged forward, pinning Roger down in the water with a tremendous splash. Jack grabbed his shoulders with all of the strength he could muster, holding his gaze and breathing heavily over him. Roger giggled maniacally, ignoring the water that lapped around his black hair. Jack spoke through his teeth, "You _bastard_! How _dare_ you speak that way! You've gone off your bloody rocker." Roger seemed to inhale the words through his eyes like sustenance to support life, for they grew wide and delighted. "That's right! You hate me, don't you? You hate me so much! Who knows? Maybe we share this emotion!" As quickly as he said that, Roger flipped Jack over into the water and attempted to hold him down. After a moment of struggle, Jack pushed Roger off of him and shimmied out of the water, getting his footing and standing up sorely. He breathed harshly. "Good! It's mutual then! I'm glad we agree on something you - you..." Jack was at a loss of words as the dark boy laughed whole-heartedly towards the sky, sitting up. He shot his eyes towards Jack's. "Oh? Please, Chiefy; there's nothing mutual between us now. Not at all." He continued to grin.

"Stop Roger, stop!" The cry was heard by Jack, and as he whirled around to locate its source, he saw Ralph fall miserably onto the ground after sprinting towards them. "Ralph! Don't move! Stay where you are!" Roger eyed Ralph with a glint in his eye, rubbing his shoulder absently. A small smile crept onto his face as he tightened his grip on the object in his hand. "Roger, if you take one step, you're done for," Jack hissed. Roger looked into his eyes and whispered, "You're a fool." Jack looked at him with malice, and suddenly noticed what Roger grasped in his hand. He knew the glint, the shape, its purpose, and gasped. He let his hand travel to his knife's hilt, only to discover that it held nothing. Jack ran towards the boy before he could make a move with it, but it was too late. Roger sprinted madly towards Ralph, who had begun to stand up, and grabbed him by the neck with one bended arm. He stood behind him, gazing at Jack, holding the stolen knife to the boy's neck.

Ralph cried out in pain as Roger pressed it against his soft skin. "I think you're mistaken. If _you_ take one step," he became quieter, "_he's_ done for."

Jack stood, frozen to the ground and shocked out of recognition. What had just unfolded had to be an illusion; there was no way he had failed to protect Ralph. What brought him out of his stupefaction were Ralph's short, panicked breaths. "Listen to me." Roger began, still tightening his grip on the knife. He suddenly became very serious. "I remember so long ago when I hadn't a clue what you were thinking. I didn't know why you did the things you did. Lord, do I remember those times." He eyed the dripping blood on Ralph's neck and marveled the stark difference in color. "Why had I been such a fool, J-..." He stuttered the name he vowed he would never say again; 'Chiefy' disappeared thoughtlessly. "Ja...Jack." He recovered. "It was only until I knew the reason why you acted the way you did that I found a way to - to help you." Jack became numb as he listened to the weakness in Roger's voice. His emotions seemed to change as starkly as the tides. "But then...you protected him. You did that...you did that to - to a bloody prisoner!" He pushed slightly against Ralph's neck with the knife, and the blonde boy struggled not to make a sound. Both he and Jack were appalled after hearing the savage's voice shake. The tide within Roger rose again.

"The wound reminds me, do you know that Jack? The one I put on you. It reminds me of how much you've changed. But..." He tore another millimeter of Ralph's skin, and he stifled a cry. Jack nearly jumped forward. "I live without regret." "Roger stop! This is ridiculous! You're acting ridiculous!" The dark boy boiled over. "No! It's you who's..." Roger loosened the pressure on Ralph's neck, watching the rivulet of dark blood thicken. "You'd never have done that before! Don't you see that you're wasting your time on this little moron?!" Suddenly, unexpectedly, he released Ralph who fell to the ground and, recovering from the shock, instantaneously groped for the wound on his neck. Roger stormed to Jack, throwing the knife into the sand. "You destroyed what's left of me, Jack Merridew. Everything." He stopped in front of him, breathing shallowly and looking at him emptily. Jack did not move. "I vowed to find out what happen to you if it killed me. But even after everything I've seen, I still feel as if I don't know everything." Roger became very quiet, leaning in to whisper in Jack's ear. "Who knows? Maybe it _will _do me in."

Roger grabbed Jack's neck in his hands and squeezed, allowing an explosion of anger to suffuse through his fingers. Jack gasped, grabbing Roger's hands and tried feverishly to pull them away. Finally it worked, and Jack used all of his strength to punch Roger. He toppled over into the hot sand, breathing heavily, and lunged upwards to pull Jack to the ground. Ralph cried weakly, "Stop, please...please!" Roger pushed his fist onto Jack's wound, and he cried out. He regained his utterly insane demeanor, and the tide within him swelled. "Don't you remember what I said, Jack?! 'You know how hard it is to keep myself together.'" He punched the red head in the jaw and marveled at the way he sputtered. "You were the last thing keeping me together, do you know that?! It's too late now, Jack! I'm in pieces now!" Ralph, paralyzed on the sand, cried out to Jack fruitlessly. He felt an unshakable feeling of sick, frightful ill-omen.

Jack kicked Roger in the gut whilst assuming a painful position on the sand, and he grunted after being pushed a few feet away from the boy, landing on the ground with a thud. He lay on the sand now as well, breathing intemperately and enjoyably watching Jack writhe as he held his chest. "I suppose I lied to you though, so long ago. How can I possibly stay loyal to you now if you're not loyal to me? Doesn't make a shred of sense, does it?" He smiled, panting, gripping his chest with greater strength. Suddenly his eyes became colder, mad. "Answer me this. Do you think Ralph will always love you?" Jack stared daggers into Roger. "What? You don't know? Peculiar question, eh?" Silently, slowly, Jack sat up and reached for the nearby knife. "Humor me, Jack! Do you really think you won't lose each other on this island, or even _off_ this island?" Neither of them had any idea they were both reaching for the same object. Roger began to rise as well. "When if you die here, when if Ralph dies here; what'll you do then? Go on living? It'd be painful, don't you think?" Jack stopped moving, and his hand receded slowly, unconsciously, back to his side. He felt numb. Roger, still moving his arm, allowed his face to parallel Jack's in close proximity.

"Don't listen to what he's saying, Jack! That's rubbish!" Ralph cried, attempting to push himself off of the ground. Jack could not hear him over the sound of his beating heart. Was this true? Was it possible? They would be together forever, surely.

Roger got closer and closer to the frozen boy, who breathed lightly. He looked carefully into his eyes so that Jack may submit to them, enchanted and unable to breath. "Well, Jack," he asked in a soft whisper, "would you like me to help you?" The world around Jack seemed to stop moving. Time seemed to have halted aside from distant pleading and shouting, which sounded like a faint humming noise. He could only see the butterflies that floated about himself and his love in the clearing, the flower that was so similar to that boy, the texture of his blonde hair through his fingers. It was peaceful, sweet, unreal in his swirling world...until the colors finally focused again.

_The grass beneath them was soft, warmed by the comforting light of the midday sun. He discovered, as he looked past Ralph, the trees had grown greener and healthier, unbleached by the sun, and the fragrance of the flowers seemed to permeate through the air with greater intensity. He felt a sort of ecstasy, and after gazing up at the bright sky he closed his eyes, noticing the equally bright orange behind his eyelids. "Jack," he heard the boy say to him, touching his hand lovingly, "you've grown tired, it seems. Why don't you sleep?" He reopened his eyes, seeing what he thought to be Ralph's true beauty, which had been invisible to him until that moment. A light, curious butterfly hovered over Ralph and landed softly onto his shoulder, slowly opening and closing its pure white wings. He stared in awe at him, his precious angel. "Ralph..." The boy's smile; it seemed sufficiently sweet enough to knock him over, but gently kept him sitting up, kept his face still and his blood flowing with warmth. Slowly, he brought his arms forward and embraced the boy within them, holding him as if he were made of glass. How did he deserve such a blessing? "See, Ralph? I told you it could not have been explained any other way...it really is like a fairy-tale, isn't it?" Ralph was silent, keeping his arms to the side. The butterfly suddenly tore off in the opposite direction, towards the exit that led from this glorious world to another that was dreary and terrible. Ralph still did not flinch. "I-...remember when I told you? I told you so, didn't I, Ralph?" A cold wind shivered horridly past them, and with it came a new kind of brightness. It seemed to reflect off of a cold, desolate beach. He moved his arms away. "R-...R-"_

Within a millisecond, a horrible sensation burnt like the fires of Hell through his stomach, and Jack felt as if he could not move. "You've grown tired, it seems." Roger repeated, moving closer. The pain in Jack's stomach grew horribly worse. "Why don't you sleep?" The boy pushed even closer now, but Jack did not notice. He could not hear anything, he could not see anything. The only thing that pierced through his vision was Ralph's genuine, achingly beautiful smile. "You and your fairytales, Jack Merridew." Jack gasped with as much strength as he could muster, but felt it was merely a wheeze through his scalding, acid lungs. Roger laughed softly, and whispered, "Go to sleep, Jack. You've nothing to worry about now." As the knife protruded deeper, Jack saw an image of heaven become brighter and brighter, but he did not push it away. The pain grew with more intensity.

Ralph could not see what had just taken place, but felt a terrible sensation burn through his chest. He crawled as quickly as he could to where the two boys sat, so close, so quiet. He suddenly heard a miserable cry, and saw Roger pull his arm away from Jack's stomach. In the boy's reddened, wet hand shone an equally bloody knife.

The tears automatically welled in his eyes. The world seem to spin and slow before him. Roger dropped the crimson knife into the sand and back away carefully, emotionless, as if he had a heart made of ice. Jack grasped his stomach with his bloodied hands, and slowly, ever so slowly, fell backwards into the sand. He thudded onto the ground and scurried a wave of sand with him that lifted and fell nearby.

The only thing he felt could penetrate his thick, dry throat was a shrill cry that seemed to blast through the island, the sea, the atmosphere, the world. "_Jack! Jaack!!_" What had Roger done?

Ralph could not stop his legs from pushing his useless body upwards, and they started to run as fast as they could towards the fallen boy. He fell into the sand by his side, and he saw how his face grimaced and could hear him wheeze and cough over the rushing waves. He trembled madly, taking his face in his hands and pressing their foreheads together in despair. "Jack - Jack...Jack...J-..." The tears came without warning, without mercy, and tore at his innards with tremendous force. Jack shuddered, coughing. He did not want to think about Roger anymore; did not wish to hear anymore of his madness. His love was before him, angelic and comforting. He knew how much he needed to tell him, and felt short on time.

Ralph let his head rise from the boy's hot forehead and he gazed numbly at the wound, and the sight of it set off another bon fire in the pit of his stomach. The blood was everywhere now; it enveloped Jack's shaking hands, speckled his arms, spilled over his chest and soaked the once white sand in disgusting crimson. Ralph let out a desperate cry, than began to sob uncontrollably over his frame, shaking more violently than even Jack. Jack whispered, breathing heavily, "Ralph, l-listen...please, don't cry..." The blonde boy completely shattered into miserable shards of feeling and melancholy. Jack coughed again, and this time a bit of blood was expelled. Ralph looked at him, waiting for his words, but was unable to control his cries. He already felt him slipping away.

Jack's eyes penetrated powerfully through his, although his frail body seemed to hold no more of the energy and life he once had. Ralph moved his arms about his frame gently, so that he would not feel any pain, and allowed them to cradle the boy. Now Jack's face, already whitening so that his freckles appeared clearly, came very close to his own. "How...how do I look, Ralph? Without m-my paint?" A bead of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Am I - human, Ralph? Am I finally-" An unknown desire rose within him as he began to accept his fate. "Am I finally...-" "Yes, oh yes. My God; you're too human." Ralph whispered, staring into his eyes, allowing tears to drip from his face and hit Jack's neck.

Roger stared at the sky, holding his breath and keeping his tears within his heart so they would not escape. He slowly backed away. This was all he had wanted.

"Th-that's how-" Jack coughed slightly, wheezing. The bead left a red trail down his chin. "-how you make me feel. More than anything. Do you know that?" Ralph shivered sorrowfully, the tears coming now in an onslaught. "A..and what about you? Do you f-feel the same? Have I made you human too?" His eyes became glazed, but a smile still graced his features. Ralph could not speak because the cries and shakes choked him, but he nodded feverishly, holding him tightly against him. "J-J...I love...I love..." Ralph simply could not speak. His head felt as if it were about to explode. "L...listen to me..." Jack became more limp, and Ralph knew he could not hold on tight enough. "...I'm going...to our place, in the w-woods. I'll get a firefly for you - when it gets dark." His voice became quieter. This was too fast and too much for Ralph to handle at once, but he did so to the best of his ability, regardless.

Roger's eyes became wet, and they welled over. It was alright, though; it was okay.

"I know you're not ready - I don't want you...to be ready just yet - so I'll won't let the firefly go until y-you come and see it. Is that okay?" Ralph cried out loud now, holding Jack close so that he could feel his faint heartbeat, his cold breath. The sun could not provide Jack warmth any longer, he knew. He nodded. "I-I...I didn't get to see the b-butterflies-" "I'll get one of those too." Jack whispered, allowing his eyes to shut. He could not feel the tear sliding down his cheek. "I'll sing for you too, R-Ralph. You haven't - you haven't heard my song, have you?" Ralph gasped, trembling. He held back his sobs. Of course he had, of course. "N-...No...so, w-will you sing it for me when I come, Jack?" The wait for a response lasted decades. He knew, but acceptance did not come.

Ralph could not feel Jack move, nor hear him whisper or mumble. He could still feel a breath, he thought. Just one, precious, sweet, breath that should have lasted forever. It should have lasted until they got off the island, until they could be together without a care in the world, until they could share each other's presence so consistently, eternally life-sustaining...until he could hear him sing once more. But nothing, he discovered lasts forever. Not even the unbreakable presence of Jack Merridew's spirit.

And then he, the one whom he shared his heart and soul with, the one who was tender to him above all things, the one that thought of him with such devotion as he had never experienced and would never know again, became still.

Ralph's cries finally reach their full volume, and seemed to shake the ground through his body. With wild abandonment he let his tears fall from his face, past the lifeless shell and soak through the sand, leaving a print of his sorrow that he felt even the crashing shore could not wash away. For all the weeping boy knew, no other living thing existed on the island. Not even himself, drowned in tears and shadowy, haunting, unreal emotion. Once Jack left, so did everything else.

All, he noticed, but one. One atrocious, barbaric, psychotic, unspeakable thing. It did not have a name, it did not have a face, it did not have a heart.

Ralph shivered his cries away until they ceased, still lingering. He continued to snivel with the presence of his sobs which now held little power over his numb body. His mind rang with no thoughts, no voice, just emptiness and a spark of rage. This spark was made alight with a burst of red when he lifted his face forwards, still holding the shell of his love, who was now weightlessly limp. The thing seemed to smile at him, seemed to be as hopeless as he, and it sat facing him. It was blank and all-knowing; it looked like it had existed since the beginning of time. It did not move, or breath, or speak. But how could it, Ralph realized with abrupt thought, if it was dead too?

No; the thing was not dead. It was not alive either. He decided that it seemed to be in a world in-between, a world that it did not deserve. What could he do to better this situation? This thing had taken the life of his beloved so that it may take in some sort of breath. What could he do to remedy this crisis?

Slowly, Ralph set Jack's body down, ignoring the sun which burned and scratched terribly at his back. He crawled carefully towards the knife that lay shielded by the sparkling sand, knowing full well that the thing would not try to come for him. He reached for it achingly with his bloody hand, and grasped its hot handle. Upon it shone the blood shed by Jack himself, red and thick, dripping even still into the sand. He did not wipe it away, nor did he even touch it. Instead Ralph stood up with it, trembling from head to toe, shedding more tears, but knew better than to wipe them away with his hands. Jack's blood gleamed there as well.

Ralph knew that if he did not do it now, he would live to regret it because he understood that he would not be mad enough to try again later. He stormed to where the being now lay, humped in a pile on the sand and shivering with laughter. The giggles grew, and grew, and grew┘until finally they were silenced by the knife that had silenced many before it. Ralph continued to beat down upon it with the blade, stabbing and stabbing, crying out in anguish and terror, until finally the being was silent.

In this sick, horrible world where lives meant nothing, where the silence brought on by humans permeated through the air - which should have been void of that sort of life, where darkness spread fast in the presence of sun light, Ralph wept horribly, grasping with all of his might onto a body which no longer bound an angel to earth.

--

This boy had never been so utterly desperate in his life.

Ralph finally collapsed next to the mountain, near the rushing waters of the ocean which pounded menacingly on the cliffs. His ankle burned and ached terribly, and he held onto it as he squirmed on the sand. Quietly, he began to call out, "S-Sam...everyone...please come..." The tide answered him, telling him to carry his voice up the mountainside. He complied, allowing his body to rise up with the aid of his shaky arms. He remembered how he had blown the shell - the powerful conch - taking in a deep breath, noticing where his diaphragm would push the air up, he shouted, "_Everyone! Please! Come down here!_" He took in a breath, preparing himself for more volume. "_Please - Oh God hurry!_" He thought he heard stones plopping heavily into the water, and smiled uncontrollably. Three boys heard his call - guards, perhaps - and they made their way hastily down. "Get the others," Ralph cried, allowing the wind to tousle his fair hair, "I'm...I'm calling an assembly! Tell them to bring any wood they got - oh! And the specs too! Fetch those as well!"

Ralph had released Jack's body into the ocean, as deep as he could push him, and for a time he had watched the body move out, floating gently in the sloping waters. He watched his love until he was lost over a wave, and was finally gone. His body would not, could not be disturbed now, he knew, and taking the remains of his black cap with him, Ralph began kicking his way back to shore, wiping away the blurry tears from his eyes that were already being splashed with salty water. How swift one could be taken away from another.

So the question arose within himself; would it do him, or Jack - especially Jack - to sit about in a daze and simply do nothing about it? Jack had given him something to accomplish, and that meant he would do it if it meant his death as well.

He knew Jack was okay, he knew he was happy, and he knew he would see him soon. That thing no longer bothered him as it did once, for in that moment during its death, they had shared something - no emotion. In that moment they had both known true sorrow, no matter what form it may have come in.

He also knew where Jack wanted him to go. He understood from the start; he was not supposed to return to _that_ place, no matter the circumstances. It should be held dormant in his memories, sleeping until he could awaken it once he could see Jack again. However, even with the pain that came with being unsure about his future, Ralph did not worry about love like he thought he would; it would simply not be an issue. He knew that it was impossible to love another.

The water beneath his back was cool and carried him to shore easily so that he would not need to use him damaged ankle. The sky looked cool above him as well, hoisting bits of cloud over the dome-like structure and pushing it farther away. More came into Ralph's line of vision, and he allowed his mind to go blank.

Abruptly, snapping him out of his emotionless daze, Ralph discovered something and gazed at it in awe, allowing his golden eyes to swallow it up. He could not be sure as to how many tiny birds there were, soaring and gliding with ease over his head; there must have been hundreds of them. He continued to stare at them, noticing the way in which they absorbed the backdrop of the sky and appeared to be a swirling, fantastic mass. There seemed an infinite number of them.

Suddenly, Jack's face flashed before him, even more beautiful than the thick group of birds, silent and glorious. Ralph did not try to reach up and touch his freckled cheek; he only turned over and began to paddle towards shore, where a spiral of grey smoke stood out against the green island.

How he adored him...how he would always adore him. 'I can still see you, Jack. Can you see me?'

_Finis_

...I want you all to know that I'm completely ready for your hate mail XDXD Didja like it? Despise it? Want to kill me for it? Give me your feedback! I've worked on this puppy for days, and I've read it and read it until all of my drabbliness and plot bunnies got exhausted! If you couldn't already tell, I'm rarely a fan of happy endings XD. I LIKE LOTF FOR GOD'S SAKES!! Comes with the territory :3.  
Okay...so in this chapter I've put in things that could be considered symbolism or what have you, so you guys can try to just analyze what you've read if you haven't done that enough yet in school XD. And I do understand that Jack's death was EXTREMELY sudden, but that's all apart of what Ralph needs to deal with, and goes with any morals-to-the-story type things X3. All in all, I hope you guys enjoyed this. I poured my heart into it, really, and I hope that it got to some of you...really X3. Buut...I've got an epilogue coming up too!! It's not too long; it's just gonna kinda wrap up the story a bit. I HOPE YOU ENJOYED EVERYONE!! I LOVE YOU ALL, THANK YOU FOR BEING SO LOYAL AND AWESOME!!


	17. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

Ah, to be young again.

The fact that I am able to enjoy a job at this place - the orphanage - still intrigues me; it gives me hope in grasping such a thing as youth even after losing it at such an age, after growing so bitter towards the degradation of man from its highest state: youth. No matter how hard I try to push that time of my life to the back of my mind, I fail utterly. These smiling faces, this pure desire for life and goodness that surrounds me as I work with these children, brings me back. They help me to grasp such a concept as childhood innocence as if it had never been lost on that bloody island.

The house, colonial and aging, is anything but quiet now. Evening had come, and the boys have only just begun their twilight ritual. Something beyond my understanding stirs their blood, and as the sun drops over the edge of the horizon the spark within them kindles. They become jittery and wild, running about and whooping excitedly, throwing pillows at one another before they have even changed for bed. Some of my co-workers say they're simply fighting the urge to sleep. I, on the other hand, know better.

Ah, what night does to a boy.

"Hullo, Ralph," a co-worker says to me, patting me on the shoulder and smirking, "I think it's your turn." I sigh, knowing exactly what he means. I haven't done the night shift for quite a while now; perhaps I oughtn't to complain. The man notices my disgruntled features "Look at it this way, chap. If you tell 'em that story you seem to know so well - the one you always use during the night shift - they'll be content. They really like that one." I smile at him, grateful for his words. He pats me once again on the shoulder and strolls out of the room. As I make my way down the opposite hall, darkened by the oncoming nighttime, I brush by the coarse, maroon curtains the boys nearly managed to take down. I knew that this was typical behavior, and I raised my arms to put the pole back into its proper place. I absently glanced out the window and began to think about the story that'd soon be told, and discover blinking spots in the thick bushes. I return my arms to my side. "How appropriate." The fireflies gave me the courage I needed to tell it again. However may times I tell the story, I find I always need a source of strength.

Usually thoughts of him would fuel the fire, but tonight he wasn't necessary. I think of him anyway though, for equal measure.

--

It was just as I had expected. They were off their rockers enough to make a man afraid, but I wasn't, for as the door creaked open it became increasingly quiet. Quite predictable.

I let the door shut behind me, and noticed that a couple of smaller boys were wearing smiles that stretched across their pale little faces. They knew well that they would hear the story tonight and were excited, so I exchanged with them a similar smile. I strolled to the middle of the large room, in the center of a circle made up of exactly twenty beds. "Alright, children," I say loudly as they all bustled obediently to their respective places, "get comfortable." One boy had his blue blanket clutched tightly between two balled-up fists. He simply could not sit still. "Are you gonna tell us the story? Can you tell us _that _story?" An invisible wave of agreement bombarded me from the surrounding beds. Some boys clapped happily and others shouted in agreement, and suddenly I found that I was enveloped in wide, excited eyes. I began, "Well if I can't be heard over all of this ruckus-" The room sparked with shushing, and then fell silent. I chuckled under my breath. How could something as simple as a story cause such a violent change in behavior, in _these_ boys, no less?

I knew without a shadow of a doubt that the answer was youthfulness, that foreign state of which I have little knowledge.

I pulled a small, wooden chair from the side of the room and settled into it. The light switch was right next to me, so I reached out to flick it off. From the corner of my eye I could see the children stirring restlessly under their covers. The time had come to tell the story, and I covered up my usual trepidation.

The moment the darkness enveloped the room, circles of soft, golden light burst to life against the cream walls. So the older nightlights had been replaced with brighter ones. I swallowed. "Alright." The room was silent, awaiting my voice. "Many hundreds of years ago, before the Earth existed, there lived two angels. One, a tall one whose presence could cure the sick and put smiles on the sorrowful; the other, a smaller, quieter one whose shyness kept him from coming to the aid of others and caused him to hesitate in every action." Their eyes simultaneously grew with wonder and understanding. It was especially interesting to see that they found such a trait in themselves. "They were great friends and loved each other dearly. They vowed to let nothing come between them. Although," I said, allowing my voice to soften, "this was not an easy task for them to accomplish." They were all very still, waiting for what dreadful things lay in store for the two angels, knowing full well what it was after hearing the story before and welcoming it with delightful terror.

"For you see, the two angels were trapped in a horrible, dreary world…filled with equally dark demons." The boys shivered as one, and I spied one moving deeper beneath his blanket. This usual fright seemed to entertain them, and I held back a smile to show that this was not a humorous matter for the angels. "And the one who controlled them was he, the Great Demon." A nearby child gasped, reaching for my sleeve and grasping it. "B-But they were smart though, weren't they, sir? They could run away, couldn't they?" "Indeed they could," I began, patting his small hand and returning it to his side. "They were very smart. In fact, they were so smart that they were able to find a secret place, one they used to hide away and be safe in that was far away from any demon." Some boys looked relieved for the time being, and others even looked anxious to here more, to calm the nerves that were alight within them. "You see, when nobody was around they'd sneak away and go to this place, very quietly and carefully so they wouldn't be found out. And then, when they arrived at this place, they felt a great peace of mind." I looked out the window, and noticed more fireflies lulling slowly about. I smiled to myself. "This was quite a lovely place, even in that disgusting world. There were countless flowers that grew all around, and they emitted a scent that calmed their hearts even when they were most afraid. Green trees towered above them and added to the comfort of the area, and…" They all knew what was coming, and looked very bright-eyed. "…and the part they enjoyed the most was this. You see, during the day, butterflies of all shapes and sizes and colors flew amongst them and landed close to them, as if they were old friends. And at night," I smiled, looking out the window, "at night, there were fireflies. Dozens and dozens of yellow fireflies that floated around them and gave them a source of light in the darkness. The two angels were very found of the place for these reasons, and found that they could continuously return there without a care."

One boy spoke out. "I wish that I could go there!" I chuckled at his comment and the rest of the boys stayed silent, awaiting more. "Maybe when it was a safe place to be, but unfortunately it wasn't that way for long." I paused, adjusting myself on the wooden seat. "One night, when the two angels were sitting in the space among the fireflies, an angel who had disguised itself as a demon came to them, in quite a hurry mind you. The angel tore away his demon disguise and the taller angel said, 'What're you doing here? What's happening?'" The boys were very still, afraid, it seemed, that if they made a noise they would not hear what was to come next. "The angel, huffing after he had run all that way, said, 'It's him! The Great Demon! He knows that you're here and not in the dungeon, he's after you! You must leave immediately!' The smaller angel gazed at the taller angel worriedly, and he said, "Don't worry, little one. I know that you're strong enough to stand up against him. Now is the time.'"

"He must've been terrified, sir!" I turned my attention towards the boy who had made the comment and said, "My lord, the angel was terribly frightened! But it would not be a problem because, you see, the tall angel was there to protect him and give him strength. And that's just what happened, too. After the angel who had disguised himself told them where to find the Great Demon, they marched all the way there until they found Him. There, the taller one confronted Him and said, 'We shall not be enslaved by you any longer, Great Demon! We are stronger than you are!'" The boy who lay adjacent to me reached for my sleeve again, and I allowed him to cling on, understanding that the climax of the story possessed the greatest drama. I noticed that the whole lot of boys were far more interested in this story than they had ever been before on this night, and I decided without question that it was due to the strength of my firefly companions.

"And then the Great Demon replied, 'Are you so sure about that? What happens if I do this!' Suddenly a great hole pierced and grew into the ground from his claws that were outstretched in front of him. It was cold and black, with shivers of lighting slicing through it. The taller one, who was closest to the hole, found that it was sucking him in." The children stared at me in terror, as if I was the Great Demon in the flesh. "The taller angel fell to the ground and slowly inched towards the hole. The smaller one gasped and reached for his hand, but with little avail. The taller angel whispered to the other, 'Listen to me, little one. If you can be stronger than the Great Demon, I will not remain in this hole of darkness. When you defeat him I will emerge and fly through this terrible land and return to Heaven. You will be free of this world, and you will see me when you come back to Heaven too, alright?' The smaller one grimaced, not believing him, but nodded as a sign that he understood. He slowly let go of the taller angel's hand, and unwillingly allowed him to sink into the hole." Outside the fireflies seemed to multiply in number, and I tried with all of the strength I could muster to ignore them. The boy still clung to me, desperate to hear the rest of the tale.

"The Great Demon let out a thunderous laugh and said, 'What shall you do now, little angel? Your friend has disappeared in the darkness! What will you do?' He stood up, trembling with more fear than you all are now." They seemed to become aware of their appearance, but refused to shift. " 'Well, Great Demon,' he said, 'Because of how long you've enslaved my dear friend and I, I've gained a good deal of strength.' The Great Demon let out another booming laugh, and suddenly forced a black hole to appear beneath him. He bounded away, and with his pure white wings he tore away into the air." I noticed that the boys were becoming less tense. They knew that the ending would bring overall good. "The Great Demon became confused as to where the little angel had gone, and because he was too busy looking about he did not notice that he was being pushed into the hole! He let out a terrified roar and fell through the hole, into the blackness." The boy's tight grip on me loosened, as did his frightened face.

"When the Great Demon was finally vanquished, never to be seen again, a bright light shone through the dark clouds high in the sky. The little angel knew that it was the door to Heaven, and he soared into them as quickly as he could, awaiting the reunion between himself and his dear friend more than anything." The boys seemed to settle into their beds calmly, relieved. I cleared my throat, smiling. They seemed to be left on end by my silence. "So…can you tell us now, sir?" One boy said quietly, from behind his bear. Finally, the questions. "That's the end of the tale, my boy. Nothing else to say. I tell you that every time." I laughed softly at their opposition. "B-But sir, we don't! How're we to know what _really_ became of the angels? Is the tall one really safe?" "-is he in Heaven-" "-do they find each other?" I stood up from my chair, feeling an oncoming exhaustion from the night. I felt particular pride in the story tonight, however, regardless of their words. "I tell you this every time, children. I have faith in you all; I'm sure you can think of something." I rubbed my shoulder absently. They looked dumbfounded, but tired all the same. I had achieved my goal.

"Well then, why don't you all sleep on it." One boy raised his hand from the depths of his bed. "Shall we tell you what we think in the morning, sir?" "As usual?" I inquired, and he and a few others nodded. Suddenly I felt courageous, and smiled once again. Slight change would do them all some good. "Hmm…actually, no. Why don't you tell me when I come back and retell the story, alright?" Murmurs of quiet opposition could be heard, but I paid them no mind. I cracked the door open, and whispered, " 'Night children. I'll be just down the hall."

I discovered that, as I shut the door softly behind me, I could distinctly remember his face. _Quite_ distinctly, at that, as if he were standing before me at that moment, smiling as he usually did. Not that I forgot his face; it was imprinted into my memory for all of time, I knew, especially after that night. I sang the tune softly underneath my breath as I walked briskly to my quarters.

_And that's when I spoke the word…_

The door seemed to open very easily, and I found that as I entered a source of light could be seen through my window. The fireflies were there, on my windowsill as they usually were when I kept it open. Only on nights like these, though; starry and dark.

…_to have them trace your face for me in pollen._

--

Eh…I felt like this shouldn't have had an intro XDXD. Oh, by the way, NEVER TELL A SMALL CHILD THIS STORY!! Ralphie has a strange sense of what's appealing to children, since he's forgotten what it's like to be one :3. Oh well.

I'm not too good at composing children's stories, if you haven't already noticed XD. But other than the story's quality, whatja all think of it? TONS and TONS of symbolism, if you hadn't already noticed that either.

I really want to thank you all for your enduring kindness and enthusiasm about my story, and ESPECIALLY the criticism! I think it made me a much better writer in the end. I really hope you all liked _Fruition_ and my works that are hopefully soon to come! I'm kinda having a block in my brain as to new ideas, but they'll come! They'll probably be oneshots, though XD.

I HEART YOU ALL, THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH!! Jack and Ralph send kisses XDXD.


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